How to bake delicious dairy-free treats

You will need:220g Caster Sugar300g Self Raising Flour1 TSP Baking Powder190g Water50g Vegetable Oil2 Lemons (1 for batter, 1 for icing!)1 TBSP Poppyseeds (plus a pinch for decorating)MethodFirst things first, get the oven on! If you put cakes in a cold oven and whack the heat up you're going to have an absolute disaster on your hands so turn it onto gas mark 6 (200C) and let it heat up while you make your muffin batter.Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, poppyseeds and the zest of one of the lemons to a bowl and mix the well.When all the dry ingredients are combined properly make a small well in the middle and add the water, oil and juice of the lemon you've just zested! Mix well and set to one side while you prepare your tin!Line 8 holes in your tin with muffin cases and fill each 3/4 full of mix. Tap the tin very lightly on the worktop a couple of times to even out the cakes.Put the muffins in your pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. They're done when they spring back with a little poke. If you want to be extra sure, pop a skewer through the middle and see if it comes out clean, they should be just turning golden on top.Leave to cool fully before you add the icing.Zest the second lemon and put the zest to one side to decorate with in a minute. Combine the juice of HALF the lemon with 70g of icing sugar in a bowl or jug and when the cakes are completely cool, drizzle the icing over the top. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle the extra poppyseeds and lemon zest on top. VOILA!

You will need:200g Sugar120g Soy Butter (I use Vitalite)1/2 a cup of Soy Cream (Alpro Soya is the best and available in all supermarkets)1 TSP Salt1 TBSP Golden SyrupMethodThis recipe is super easy and makes a delicious sauce for dipping or drizzling, just make sure you don't burn the sugar or you'll have a very smokey kitchen and ruined pan! Have everything weighed out prior to starting this as once the sugar melts you need to move really quickly! Also have a bowl of hot soapy washing up water ready to chuck the pan in as soon as you're finished or it's really difficult to clean.Heat the sugar in a non-stick saucepan, stirring continuously until the sugar is melted, it will go into hard lumpy rocks just before it starts to go brown, this is whats supposed to happen so hang in there.As soon as the last lump of sugar has melted, turn the heat to low and add the soy butter and stir rapidly. The mix will bubble up as soon as you add anything to it so please be careful with your lovely little hands!When the butter has melted you can add the soy cream and golden syrup, when these are combined, add the salt and turn the heat back up to full for no more than a few seconds.Decant the sauce into a bottle or jar and leave to cool in the fridge, store cold for up to a month!

You will need:250g Plain Flour65g Cocoa Powder1TBSP Baking Powder350g Caster Sugar1 TSP Salt250g Water200g Vegetable Oil2 TSP Vanilla extract100g Soy Butter100g Crunchy Peanut Butter300g Icing Sugar100g Dark Chocolate (Just make sure it's dairy free)50g Soy Cream1 TBSP Golden SyrupA Handful of chopped nuts or peanuts to decorateMethodAlthough it looks like there's a lot in this recipe, it's actually pretty simple. Just think of it in 3 stages, mud pie base, peanut butter cream filling, chocolate ganache on top! You need to be patient with it as it'll be coming in and out of the freezer for each layer so make it well in advance if you have guests!The Mud Pie BasePreheat your oven to gas mark 6 or 200CCombine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the water, oil and vanilla and mix well.Set to one side while you line the bottom of a 9" spring release cake tin with baking paper, grease the sides of the tin with a little soy butter or oil so it comes away easily at the end. Once lined, add the base mix and flatten evenly with a spatula or spoon, this will ensure an even bake. Bake for 35 mins.You want the middle of the base to still be a little bit wobbly, after 30-35 mins take it out of the oven and leave to cool to just above room temperature before the next step.This is the messy bit! While the cake is still a little bit warm and gooey (not hot!!!) keep it in the tin and use either your hands or potato masher to squash it all down to a thick, dense chocolatey heaven, this creates a great consistency and helps support the next two layers.Now leave in the tin to cool completely.The PB filling!Put the soy and peanut butters in a bowl and mix together, when combined, you can start slowly sieving the icing sugar in, stopping every now and again to slowly fold it all together. I usually do this by hand because soy butter is so soft but you can use a mixer too, just combine it a bit first to avoid a sugar explosion and looking like a fool, believe me.When your buttercream filling is soft and fluffy, you can plop the whole thing on top of the pie base (STILL IN THE TIN!) with a spatula, spread the mix evenly and push it right up to the edges of the base so everything is covered. Make sure it's as flat as possible on top too.Now put the whole tin in the freezer to firm it up while you make your ganache topping.If you have chosen to have nuts of the top, I think they're much nicer toasted so heat them in a pan for a minute or to without any oil until they start turning golden, take off the heat and set to one side to cool.Pour the soy cream into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, while this is heating up you can break your chocolate into small pieces. When the cream is hot, add the chocolate and stir continuously until it's fully melted and then add the TBSP of golden syrup for a glossy finish.Take the pie out of the freezer and pour the ganache all over the top of the peanut butter filling, pick up the tin and move it around to get an even spread, while the chocolate is still wet, add the toasted nuts and put back in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.When you come to take the pie out, run a hot butter knife around the edge of the tin to make sure it's unstuck and hey presto, you've got a serious cake to see off.

You will need:3 Bananas1 TBSP Agave Syrup (Maple will also do the job)1 TSP Vanilla Extract2 TBSP Chia Seeds200g Oats100g Raisins or Sultanas2 TBSP of WaterMethodThis recipe is the easiest of the lot, essentially you're just mixing everything in a bowl and having a big old party with it. It's one of my favourites because the you really can add anything you want, get a few dairy free chocolate chips in there to entice the kids. Dates, apple and pumpkin seeds are also an excellent combination.Pre-heat the oven to 200C (gas mark 6).Combine all the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, finely mash the bananas with the syrup, water and vanilla extract. Now put the two together!Line a small lasagne dish or 9" square cake tin with baking paper and pour the mix in, the consistency should be like a thick dough. If you think it's too thick, add another splash of water just to loosen.Spread out evenly in the tin and sprinkle a few more nuts or seeds on top. Bake for 15-20 mins until firm. Coincidentally these are corking with the salted caramel sauce... although probably not very healthy for breakfast!