This recipe for a vegan whipped cream takes control of your whipped cream game and says good bye to its dairy-based counterpart. Enjoy!

Whipped cream is the perfect complement to just about any dessert, offsetting sweetness and texture with a touch of creamy neutrality or providing a light backdrop to an otherwise heavy pie, pudding or cake. Because it is so light, we often eat more than we should in any given sitting, and things can get out of hand fast.

Traditional whipped cream may be light as a feather, but at the end of the day it is straight up heavy cream that has been beaten by a mixer or whisked. It is often combined with vanilla and sugar for more taste. In 1 cup, there are 154 calories, 8 grams of saturated fat, 13 grams of total fat, 46 milligrams of cholesterol and 4.8 grams of sugar. There are some nutritional perks to heavy cream-based whipped cream, but nothing to write home about.

Any cream containing 30 percent or more butterfat can be mixed with air through whisking or being beaten to result in a double-the-volume mixture, in which air bubbles are captured by the fat droplets. However, if the whipping continues, the fat droplets adhere to one another and eventually form butter. So think of it this way: traditional whipped cream is basically butter in the making.

Avoid the whiplash of fat calories and animal-unfriendliness inherent in traditional whipped cream and instead make this 3-ingredient vegan whipped cream recipe. You’ll be glad you did.

3-Ingredient Vegan Whipped Cream Recipe

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 can full-fat coconut milk (BPA-free version)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Set the coconut milk in the fridge overnight. The next day, a few hours before making the whipped cream, place a stainless steel mixing bowl in the freezer. Open the coconut milk can and scoop out the thickened part and add it to the chilled bowl. Save the juice for a smoothie or soup. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk until evenly combined, smooth and thick or use an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Use the vegan whipped cream as you normally would – atop baked desserts, fruit or coffee. Or, eat as is by the spoonful!

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Photo Credit: Steven Depolo

The post Vegan Whipped Cream Recipe Takes the Cake appeared first on EcoSalon.

So decadent it could only be for celebrating a birthday. 

Who ever said it was sad to make your own birthday cake was wrong.

Here’s the thing about baking your own birthday cake: it ensures that you are in full control of what you are eating to celebrate your day. No crumbly cupcakes because your friend forgot that you actually hate cupcakes, no overly sweet processed frosting because your neighbor only had time to go to the bakery department of the chain grocery store and no half-eaten chocolate mint ice cream cake left in your freezer for the next six months.

Another great thing about birthday cakes? You can make it and not even tell anyone, leaving an entire cake to yourself. No one has to know, it’s your birthday after all.

My mother has made me this cake on many a birthday, and I have no shame in making it myself because it’s one of the most amazing baked goods I have ever tasted. Like many traditional Swedish cakes it employs whipping cream instead of frosting, which if you ask me, every cake should do. This is no cake that’s masked as health food, it’s simply a cake. Not vegan, not low fat, not full of omega 3s… because you know what? It’s your day, and you deserve to eat a chocolate, hazelnut, whipped cream masterpiece.

Did I say today was my birthday? Shhhh….

Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Birthday Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 100 grams hazelnuts
• 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup sugar

For topping:

• Whipped cream
• Hazelnuts
• Cocoa powder

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugar. Add in egg yolks one at a time and mix thoroughly. Mix in flour, baking powder and milk.

Grease and flour two circular 9″ baking pans and pour even amounts of batter into each. Chop hazelnuts and sprinkle on top, followed by chocolate chips.

To make the meringue, whip the egg whites until stiff, and carefully fold in sugar. Spread over hazelnuts and chocolate chips in the baking pans.

Bake at 325F for about 40 minutes.

Let cool in the baking pans before removing. Run a butter knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them and remove carefully. Place one on a large plate and cover with a layer of whipped cream. If you want, add in a layer of fresh raspberries or blackberries here. Cover with second layer of cake and cover entire thing with whipping cream.

Garnish with cocoa powder and hazelnuts. And a Swedish flag or two if you want to really be Scandinavian.

Want more food inspiration? Check out the rest of our Sunday Recipe series. 

The post Sunday Recipe: The Best Birthday Cake Ever appeared first on EcoSalon.