What do you use in your baking?

Friday, June 20, 2008

What do you use in your baking?

I get this question ALOT. Since I’m lactose intolerant I can’t have butter. People are always asking me how I bake so much without butter! I try to keep my baking dairy free, but sometimes I can’t avoid it. I do tag all my dairy free recipes in the blog, so you will know.

As you may already know, the easiest way to bake dairy-free is Vegan baking. I’ve had success in most of my vegan baking adventures and also with just subbing dairy-free products in place of dairy products.

I did take a great Vegan cupcake class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. It was a lot of fun and the cupcakes turned out amazing! I was glad to hear that our instructor (a vegan who works in a bakery) uses a lot of the same products I do.

I’ve been using these products interchangeably in my baking since I found out I was lactose intolerant about 9 months ago. I’ve never had anyone say that anything tasted funny. I even convinced my family over the holidays that eating dairy free doesn’t affect the taste of Spinach and Artichoke dip!

Butter: Anyone who is lactose intolerant likely knows about Earth Balance. It’s delicious and tastes just like butter. It can also be used in baking!

Milk: I use soymilk instead of milk. I was having problems with my vegan cupcakes always turning out gummy, like they weren’t done. I found out it was because I was using the lowfat soy milk. It has a higher water content than the regular version. So I use the lowfat soy milk for my cereal and these little guys for my baking. I like them because they can be stored in the pantry and are in 1 cup boxes.

Cream cheese: Hubby absolutely loves cream cheese frosting. He’d eat it with a spoon if I let him. Thank goodness for Tofutti!! (I love their ice cream too!) This stuff really is better than cream cheese. I can’t taste a difference.

Yogurt: You can use soy yogurt in place of regular yogurt, but I like to use silken tofu. Just throw it in the food processor and process away to give it the right texture.

Parmesan or Shredded Cheese: There are quite a few lactose free cheese substitutes available at the grocery store. The Veggie brand cheeses are really good. They also make cheese slices that melt just like real cheese. They also make a sour cream substitute. I don’t eat much sour cream, so I haven’t tried it.

Oil: This isn’t a lactose intolerance thing, but I like to sub applesauce for oil. It cuts the fat in baked goods but still gives the moisture. Don’t try this for brownies though! I like to get the Natural (no sugar added) applesauce in the small individual servings. Since I make homemade applesauce, if I bought a jar, it would go bad. The individual serving packages stay mold-free longer than an open jar. And each package is a 1/2 cup of applesauce.

How-To

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27 Responses to “Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart”

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Eva @ Eva Bakes — June 7, 2013 at 8:27 am
What an awesome way to feature goat cheese in a dessert! I never thought of turning it into a chocolate mousse – sounds like I need to try this soon. 🙂
- beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:51 am
  
  You definitely should. I know goat cheese isn’t for everyone, but we really enjoyed the subtle flavor in the mousse.
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Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic — June 7, 2013 at 8:42 am
Jen, I love everything about this tart – from the chocolate crust to the mousse and the pretty strawberries on top. Yum! Enjoy your birthday month 🙂
- beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:52 am
  
  Thanks for humoring me on the whole birthday month thing 🙂
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Krystal R. — June 7, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Ohhh lalalalala, I totally dig this dessert even more because it has goat cheese and strawberries…some of my fave foods!! Happy Birthday month…you better party and eat like it’s your birthday!!
- beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
  
  Oh I’m definitely going to party like it’s my birthday! All month long 🙂
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Shannon — June 10, 2013 at 10:24 am
oh yes to the goat cheese in this tart! fabulous. happy birthday month 🙂 you might need to make this a few more times to celebrate?!
- beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
  
  Oh I have been baking plenty of deliciousness this month to celebrate 🙂 You know how hard it is to repeat recipes…
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Karen — June 10, 2013 at 11:50 pm
Love the idea of incorporating goat cheese in a dessert- I have never seen it down with chocolate before. I will definitely be trying this soon as I have some goat cheese in my fridge waiting to be used 🙂
- beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 7:20 am
  
  Oh yea, goat cheese and chocolate go really well together.
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Carolyn — June 11, 2013 at 8:26 am
Oh my, the use of goat cheese in this is phenomenal! I would love to try it!
- beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 8:46 am
  
  Definitely do! And you could top it with any fruit you like. I think raspberries would be good too.
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Consuelo @ Honey & Figs — June 11, 2013 at 9:39 am

Chocolate must work great with goat cheese since they’re both utterly delicious!! This recipe looks magnificent omg I think I would be able to eat the whole tart by myself *-*
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Justine @ Cooking and Beer — June 11, 2013 at 1:17 pm

Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients to use in desserts, and your tart looks soooo delicious! Thanks for sharing =) Definitely a must try this summer.
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Nutmeg Nanny — June 12, 2013 at 10:33 am

Oh wow this is gorgeous! I love this recipe, I bet it tastes heavenly!
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Beth — June 25, 2013 at 5:13 pm
I just finished making my second one for this week…we love it…it is so smooth and rich and well D E L I C I O U S!!!…my grandson requested the second one but truth be told I was gonna make it anyway…the bittersweet chocolate and the cocoa in the crust are what make it….if anyone out there hasn’t tried it do so you will be in love….
- beantownbaker — June 25th, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
  
  So glad you’ve enjoyed it! I definitely need to make this again. I have already made it with raspberries but want to try blackberries next.
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Beth — July 1, 2013 at 6:10 am
you wont believe it but I made this AGAIN yesterday…I did a play on bananas foster on the top…it was a hit with my company…and good recipes for sweets for the 4th?..lol….
- beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
  
  Wow – bananas foster on top. I would never have thought of that! I am making this tart and this strawberry shortcake for the 4th.
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Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com — July 15, 2013 at 11:48 am

So sinful and delicious looking 🙂
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NaturesComplete — July 17, 2013 at 1:27 pm

Holy yumminess. I never thought of putting goat cheese in. My mouth is watering at the thought. Strawberries are my absolute favorite berry of all time. I will have to for sure try this recipe, Got it saved to my personal file. thank you.
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Laura — August 3, 2013 at 12:07 am
I love chocolate mousse and I love goat cheese, so clearly I need to make this!

Also, there is strawberry picking (not sure it is organic though if that matters) up here near Oxford. I can get you the info for next year if driving up here is not a problem (I imagine it depends on what side of Cinci you live 🙂 ).
- beantownbaker — August 4th, 2013 @ 6:44 pm
  
  I definitely don’t mind driving for freshly picked strawberries!!
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Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste — September 20, 2013 at 6:17 am
I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this recipe! It’s hard to beat mixing tangy goat cheese with chocolate and berries. What a unique recipe!
- beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:11 pm
  
  It tastes as good as it sounds! I hope you try it.
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Lauren — June 1, 2015 at 5:49 pm

WOW! What a wonderful recipe! Definitely one of my new favorites! Happy birthday month!
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April — March 1, 2016 at 5:29 pm

Does this go in the fridge covered or uncovered and how long does it last? Thanks!