Here are a few drop dead delicious desserts for chocolate lovers you need to make now. If chocolate is your first love, and it’s hard to see why not, here are a few inspiring recipes you can try out this holiday season. I’m sharing bake and no bake ideas, all vegetarian, no eggs, no gelatine, each good to the last bite!
Chocolate has it’s own sweet language, one that comforts, satisfies, uplifts, seduces, placates, a language that has no barriers. So many emotions around one ingredient that it feels chocolate is always the best way to to bond, to connect, to celebrate, to comfort, to satiate!
AS you might have guessed, chocolate is one of my most used ingredients, as also one of my favourite things to make dessert with. I often say, when all else fails, there’s always chocolate. I’ve even written my first cookbook around CHOCOLATE, something I knew would be my first thematic choice.
There’s something about chocolate. I love working with it, I love creating recipes around it. As you might have noticed, I also love styling desserts that are chocolate based, and I absolutely love shooting them. The mood chocolate desserts create while shooting makes me so happy. That play of colours is so satisfying, so much fun!
So here we go, 10 drop dead delicious chocolate desserts for you to try now. They’re eggless and vegetarian, AND they’re mostly fuss free, quick and simple. If you are looking for more inspiration, you’ll find a ton of chocolate HERE, in my cookbook and on Instagram too!
3 Ingredient No bake Eggless Chocolate Cheesecake
Light, delicious and mousse like, this no bake cheesecake uses just 3 ingredients, 5 if you include the base. With no gelatine, no agar agar and no cornstarch, you must try this!
Rich, deeply delicious, satiny smooth and ever so easy, anyone can stir this up in a matter of minutes. Nothing can comfort the soul like a good indulgent old school chocolate pudding.
An eggless chocolate sponge, deep delicious ganache, bright fresh raspberries topped with the smoothest and most luxurious mascarpone cream. The flavours do a magic dance on the palette, each spoonful delightful.
Best way to say hello to the cherry season with a delicious and flavourful take on the classic black forest. If cherries are in season where you are, this is for you!
… the name says it all! An addictive, delicious, no bake, eggless tart with a filling of the much loved Nama Chocolate. Each bite is indulgent, a celebration in a tart if you like, a gentle tease on the palette that is so sublime that it's addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking or share a comment here on the blog if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!
Eggless Almond Saffron Jelly Cake … desserts that light up life! I love the gentle play of flavours and often make desserts using elements from desserts I’ve created in the past. This was one such inspiration. A gently spiced eggless pistachio sponge, the simplest one bowl hand whisked recipe you’ll ever find, is topped with a smooth indulgent almond cream.
If you’ve stopped by on PAB in the past, you might know of my love for colourful desserts and saffron. I think it’s one of the most beautiful spices in the world, fragrant, rich and colourful. I use it often, generously too and I love the gentle flavours it adds to dessert. Pistachios with saffron might be my favourite pairing, and I use both very often as you can see.
Other favourites include mango and saffron, rose and saffron, almond and saffron work beautifully too! There’s so much you can do with saffron and because you need just a ‘little pinch’ or a few strands, it’s always good to buy good quality saffron.
I’m sure you are convinced about the absolute magic that saffron adds. Here in the Eggless Almond Saffron Jelly Cake, the saffron jelly shines! Once the cream has set, pour over a quick saffron jelly, tying in all the flavours of the festival season. A piped almond buttercream, garnished with flowers from the garden, and we’re all set! Happy Diwali!
A gently spiced eggless pistachio sponge, the simplest one bowl hand whisked recipe you'll ever find, is topped with a smooth indulgent almond cream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Keyword agar agar, cake, cream, dessert, eggfree, eggless baking, eggless cake, Indian dessert cake, no gelatine, one bowl, saffron, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Setting time 8 hourshours
Total Time 8 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
Eggless pistachio sponge
100gbuttermilk
25goil
50gcastor sugar
1/4tspbaking soda
1/2tspbaking powder
1/2tspapple cider vinegar
Pinchsalt
1/4tspalmond extract
85gplain flour
1tbsppistachiosfinely chopped
Almond cream
400gcream25% fat
few drops almond extract
2tbspcornflour
100gclarified butter/ghee
2.5tspagar agar
60gsugar
Saffron Jelly
1/3cuphoney
1/3cupwater
1/2tspagar agar
Generous pinch saffron
Instructions
Eggless pistachio sponge
Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease and line two 4″ cake rings tin with foil.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tester comes out clean.
Cool completely on the rack and level if required.
Almond cream
Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. Simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken slightly like a custard.
Whisk well and strain. Cool, whisking now and then, until cool enough to pour over the base.
Note: This can also be made in the microwave.
Place all the whisked ingredients in a heat proof bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, whisk, then repeat 3-4 times until it begins to just thicken. Cool, whisking now and then, until cool enough to pour over the base.
Saffron Jelly
Stir together the honey, water and agar agar in a saucepan. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
Take off heat and stir the saffron in. Cool and pour over the set cream.
Assemble
Wrap an acetate sheet firmly around the base.
Pour over about half the almond cream over each cake and leave it to set overnight.
Top with the saffron jelly and place it in the fridge or freezer until firm. Gently remove the acetate sheet.
Pipe over with almond buttercream, and garnish with rose and marigold petals, pistachio slivers etc.
Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Shake … Deep, delicious, indulgent, comforting and oh-so-addictive, one sip down and you are transported to a happy place! I think it’s the charm and ease of sometimes using Biscoff in simple desserts which makes everything sooooo delicious.
As you can see, it’s difficult not to get inspired by this cookie butter. The more I use it, the more I enjoy creating with it. Yes it’s sweet but then petite or small portion desserts is what I do mostly. A little goes a long way. The desserts you see above are recipes I’ve created over time. All eggless, easily made vegan too because Lotus Biscoff is vegan or plant based. You can find them here or on Instagram.
This Lotus Biscoff ice cream shake is a 2 minute mood uplifter, a really quick dessert shake that is satisfying to the last drop. The cherry on the cake is the old fashioned swirl of whipped cream on top that adds the quintessential ice cream shake feel. After all, what s a shake without whipped cream, right? This cream whipper does the job beautifully!
You can play around with proportions, ingredients too. Throw in some instant coffee if you like, perhaps make it with a coffee or chocolate ice cream. Use a vegan ice cream and plant based milk to make this vegan quite easily since Biscoff is plant based. You’ve probably got the ingredients on hand already, so give this deliciousness a shot asap!
Add the 3 ingredients to a blender and process for 30 seconds until smooth. Pour into tall sundae glasses, top with whipped cream, a drizzle of melted Biscoff spread and serve immediately.
Quickest & Simple Homemade Barbeque Sauce … you never need to buy barbeque sauce again. Here’s a drop dead simple recipe, ready in under 5 minutes, infinitely customisable and pretty darned delicious. All you need is a bottle of tomato ketchup to begin with and the rest you add in as you desire.
You won’t see me sharing savoury recipes often on PAB, but truth be told, my heart belongs to savoury! Make that spices & savoury dishes though I use spices very often in desserts too! Garam masala, a quintessential India spice, mix in cakes and hot chocolate? Yes please!
This homemade barbeque sauce is something I make in a jiffy, often alongside as fries cook in the wok, or with chicken being grilled for sandwich etc. Sometimes I make a bigger batch and keep it for a week. It never lasts longer and is way better than any store bought barbeque sauce. You can make it sweeter, hotter, more pungent depending on your personal preference & it tastes really fresh.
I have always been fascinated by the charm of spices, shooting them, styling them, enjoying the visual appeal. Spices are some of my favourite things to buy after fresh produce, to have in the kitchen. I especially enjoy stocking a variety of red chilies, so there’s always something flavoursome and /or fiery on hand to throw in!
The add ins for the my homemade barbeque sauce are pretty staple and can be easily substituted to taste or with what you might have on hand. It’s a simple play of flavours – sweet, hot, smoky etc. and you can use a variety of chilies if you like. I especially like a touch of smoked chili, gochugaru being a hot favourite, smoked paprika being another.
Talking about the humble chili, can you imagine how much these sheep are enjoying red hot chilies! It was in 2016 on a local trip to Lakshman Sagar in Rajasthan, a boutique hotel on the fringes of the badlands of Rajasthan, that I took the picture at a local red chili processing unit. It was sheer luck to catch sight of the sheep head straight for chilies that had been left out to dry!
India is a fascinating country to travel across and I always always have a camera in hand, you never know what you might stumble across!
The sight when the flock of sheep descended upon the rows and rows of whole dried chillies at a local factory had me gobsmacked. It was honestly a very special moment, a fascinating story, a memory I love to share!
When food meets regional cuisine, it cooks up a charming new story each time not matter which part of the world you go to. India is no different, but it is much more complex. Every city surprises you with so much variety that regional cuisine takes up a new avatar.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was one more trip that was surreal, a trip to Karaikudi in the south of India. Karaikudi, the Land of Chettinad in the state of Tamil Nadu is steeped in history and is the most fascinating place ever.
I guess that explains why I’m smitten with spices and the colours of India! Let’s get back to this simple and finger-licking good homemade barbeque sauce …
My favourite add ins are garlic powder & smoked paprika to add depth of flavour. For a sweet kick, try brown sugar, jaggery powder or maple syrup/honey etc. Coconut sugar adds really nice, deep notes too if you have it on hand.
Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sugar melts in. Simmer a little longer if you want a thicker sauce. Alternatively, you can add more water to thin it down
Take off heat, taste and adjust seasoning. Cool and store in a lidded glass jar in the fridge.
Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake… delicious pairings that are just so perfect! An eggless sponge moistened with Cointreau is topped with the tart ruby red fresh raspberries that make the heart of this dessert. Finished off with an incredibly flavourful raspberry cream, this dream cake is quite indulgent & satisfying.
Take this Eggless Opera Cakefor example. I’ve made a version with eggs for a Daring Baker challenge several years ago. If you had told me to go eggless with it, I would have politely declined, not as much as giving it a second thought! Cut to now, that Eggless Opera Cake turned out to be one of my most fun creations, something that satisfied the baker and dessert maker in me no end.
Think desserts, think colour, think flavours, textures … and think prettiness! I think the very word dessert should offer ‘poetry’ on a platter, a dish that looks as pretty as it tastes! Those desserts above are an example of what I enjoy doing, the recipes shared either on this blog or on my recipe feed on Instagram at PAB Recipes as also this Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake below.
It’s another mouth watering tin cake box dessert inspired by the Eggless Mango Dream Cake I shared a few days ago. I’ve been a little occupied of late as I try and get my new kitchen studio up and running. It’ll hopefully be ready soon, so until then, dive right in to this dream cake deliciousness!
Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!
An eggless chocolate sponge moistened with Cointreau is topped with tart ruby red fresh raspberries make the heart of this dessert. Finished off with an incredibly flavourful raspberry cream, this dream cake is quite indulgent & satisfying. Makes one tin cake {5.5x3inch}
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 6″ tin with parchment.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
Turn the batter into the tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the tester comes out clean. Cool completely, then trim the top. Gently fit the cake into the dream cake tin {5.5x3inch}.
Raspberry cream filling
Whip the cream cheese with icing sugar until smooth. Reserve.
In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks.
Whip in the cream cheese mixture and the cooled raspberry sauce.
Put into a piping bag fitted with a 2A nozzle.
Raspberry sauce
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
Simmer over low heat until the berries break down, mashing them against the sides.
Once the colour is nice and deep, the berries have broken down completely and the mixture has thickened slightly, 4-5 minutes, take off heat.
Strain the raspberry sauce and cool completely. refrigerate until required. This can me made in advance.
Assemble
Moisten the cake generously with the Cointreau.
Top the moistened cake with fresh raspberries. Pipe over the raspberry cream, level out and leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Top with fresh raspberries, edible flowers, mint etc.
Note
Since the dessert is set in a dream cake tin and uses fresh berries AND a berry cream, it is best consumed within a day. To keep it for longer, consider making this in a glass trifle or dessert bowl .
Eggless Mango Dream Cake … If dreamy desserts are what you crave, if you love mangoes as much as we do, this tin box cake is for you! With mangoes, cream, saffron & pistachios, this Indian inspired eggless Mango Dream Cake is deeply delicious and so satisfying!
As the mango season draws to an end here on the subcontinent, I’m trying to squeeze in a couple of more mango dessert recipes. The king of fruits gives me so much joy, it’s difficult to accept that the season is almost gone.
Mangoes here are a celebration of everything Indian, a fruit we simply love to love.
With thousands of varieties and millions of ways to use the fruit, mango is truly very special. In India {and globally too of course}, you will see myriad uses for mangoes from the time they come into season, a country smitten by the immense possibilities of their beloved national fruit. Pickles, curries, beverages, coolers, salads, soba noodles, stir fries, dal and of course my favourite category, DESSERTS ♥!
Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this Eggless Mango Dream Cake, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!
If dreamy desserts are what you crave, if you love mangoes as much as we do, this tin box cake is for you! With mangoes, cream, saffron & pistachios, this eggless Mango Dream Cake is deeply delicious and so satisfying!Makes one tin cake {5.5x3inch}
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 6″ tin with parchment.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
Turn the batter into the tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the tester comes out clean. Cool completely, then trim the top. Gently fit the cake into the dream cake tin {5.5x3inch} and poke with a skewer.
Saffron milk
Stir together and leave to steep, preferably overnight
Almond cream
Whisk together all the ingredients in a glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, whisk again. Repeat at 15-30 second intervals until the cream begins to thicken at the edges, 3-4 times. Cool, whisking now and then to keep the cream uniform and to prevent a film from forming on top.
Assemble
Moisten the cake generously with the saffron milk.
Top the moistened cake with freshly diced mangoes followed by the almond cream. Level out and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Top with freshly diced mangoes, rose petals, mint etc.
