Millionaire’s Shortbread

JASMINE CLARK

A passionate vegan for the planet and animals, I am Viva!’s environment campaigner, heading up our environment campaigns, raising awareness of the devastating impacts eating meat, dairy, fish and eggs are having on the planet and its wildlife I was inspired to make millionaires shortbread to showcase that as a vegan, you don’t have to miss out on a thing! My recipe was influenced by Carnation

PREP TIME 20 minutes

COOK TIME 20 minutes

CHILL TIME 2 hours

SERVES 16

Shortbread l 175g plain flour l 50g icing sugar l Pinch of salt l 125g vegan butter alternative (eg Flora plant butter or naturli)

Caramel l 125g vegan butter alternative (eg Flora plant butter or naturli) shortbread l 125g soft light brown sugar l 1 x 370g tin vegan condensed milk alternative (eg carnation) l 5 tbsp vegan soya cream l 3 tbsp cornflour

Chocolate top l 200g vegan dark chocolate

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4

2 Line a square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

3 Mix flour and sugar in a bowl with pinch of salt Rub the vegan spread into the flour mixture with your fingertips Form a ball of dough – if too wet, add extra flour

4 Press dough into base of the tin to make one even layer Fork all over

5 Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden Set aside to cool for 15 minutes caramel

1 While the shortbread is cooling, make the caramel Place the butter, brown sugar, vegan condensed milk alternative in a non-stick saucepan and melt together on a medium-low heat

2 Put the cornflour into a small bowl and gradually add the soya cream, whisking to a smooth paste (by hand is okay).

3 After everything has melted, add the paste to the pan and mix well Turn up heat to fairly high and cook the caramel, stirring until it boils rapidly, then continue to cook, stirring, for about 4-5 minutes Drop a little of the caramel into ice-cold water – if it forms a soft ball, it is ready Leave to cool and thicken

4 Pour caramel over the shortbread to cover it Leave to set on the kitchen side or if pressed for time, cool in the fridge or freezer chocolate top

1 Once caramel is set, melt the chocolate by placing in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water or blitz in the microwave Pour evenly over the top Chill for a minimum of 2 hours.

2 Using a knife dipped into boiling water and then dried, cut the now set millionaire’s shortbreads into 16 squares

Yuzu Frosted Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

DR JUSTINE BUTLER

I’m head of research at Viva! and have a strong background in science I tend to wing most recipes – except cakes! This one has been adapted from two recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s excellent Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World The yuzu adds a zingy citrus hit to this rich chocolate and raspberry celebration cake

PREP TIME 1 hour

COOK TIME 35 minutes

SERVES 15-20

Chocolate sponges l 375ml soya milk l 1½ tsp cider vinegar l 125ml rapeseed oil l 200g caster sugar l 1½ tsp vanilla extract l 180g plain flour l 60g cocoa l 1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda l ⅓ tsp baking powder

Vanilla sponge l 190ml soya milk l ¾ tsp cider vinegar l 60ml rapeseed oil l 100g sugar l 1½ tsp vanilla extract l 120g plain flour l 1½ tbsp cornflour l ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda l ½ (generous) tsp baking powder chocolate sponges

Filling and frosting l 400g icing sugar l 200g vegan butter l 5 or 6 fresh or frozen raspberries l 1 tbsp cocoa l 150g yuzu chocolate (valrhona Yuzu inspiration from sous chef online) l 4 tbsp raspberry jam

To decorate l 20-25 fresh raspberries

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4

2 Grease and flour two 20cm springform cake tins

3 For the chocolate cake, whisk soya milk and vinegar in a large bowl

4 Add oil, sugar and vanilla – mix well

5 Sift in flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder – mix well to avoid lumps vanilla sponge

6 Divide mixture equally between the two tins and bake for 30-35 minutes (until a cocktail stick comes out clean). Tip cakes out and set aside to cool.

1 For the vanilla sponge, grease and flour one 20 springform cake tin

2 Whisk soya milk and vinegar in a large bowl

3 Add oil, sugar and vanilla and mix well

4 Sift in flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder – mix well to avoid lumps)

5 Pour mixture into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes (until cocktail stick comes out clean). Tip the cake out and set aside to cool

Frosting

1 To make the three types of frosting, cream the butter in a large bowl then add the icing sugar, b by bit, until you have a stiff frosting Divide the m into three bowls

2 For raspberry butter icing filling, put 5 or 6 raspberries in a pan and heat gently while squashing with a spoon to release their juice Strain juice (about 2 teaspoons) and mix into the frosting

Add more icing sugar if necessary to stiffen it

3 To make chocolate frosting, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa and mix

4 To make the yuzu frosting, melt yuzu chocolate in a heatproof bowl over pan of gently boiling water When melted, cool to room temperature then stir it into the butter icing (must be cool or it will melt the butter) assemble the cake

1 Slice off top of the vanilla sponge and one of the chocolate sponges to make them flat The top chocolate layer can remain domed if you like

2 Place one chocolate sponge on a plate/cake stand and spread with half the raspberry butter icing

3 Warm the jam to soften it and spread 2 tablespoons onto the vanilla cake and sandwich it on top of the chocolate base

4 Spread the remaining raspberry frosting onto the vanilla sponge and the remaining 2 tablespoons jam onto the second chocolate layer and sandwich on top

5 Cover the top of the cake with the yuzu frosting Cover the sides with chocolate frosting

6 Decorate the top of the cake with fresh raspberries and pipe on swirls or peaks with any leftover frosting.