I know there are a lot of vegans and vegetarians here in Austin, and more people are choosing that way of life everyday. So I started wondering what kinds of baked goods and cakes were available to that group. I would love to have several vegan options for birthday and wedding cakes. And I think that it would be possible to do vegan Bozilla Bites too!!

The most important thing I needed to figure out was what items a vegan or vegetarian do not consume and it seems that a vegan is just on a more strict diet than a vegetarian. Vegans remove all animal products from their diet, including dairy. That information basically means that cakes, in general, are vegetarian friendly, but not vegan friendly. I need to eliminate butter, milk, eggs, cream cheese and sour cream. Then, if we use a better flour like rice flour, alternative wet ingredients, and stick with vegetable based oils (which we use anyway) it would be a vegan cake! I am thinking the first one to try is a carrot cake because, for me, carrot cakes are very forgiving when it comes to doing substitutions.

Something else that makes me very excited about providing vegan options is that it will also be a lower fat option for people! So those that are watching their cholesterol can have a cake option that does not contain egg yolks or butter, which I think is incredible!

I also have to do some shopping for vegan ingredients. I am hoping there are vegan alternatives to butter, eggs, and cream cheese products. I think a trip to Central Market is in order….maybe the hubby and I can go this weekend and scope it out (we also really love the beer selection at Central Market).

Check back soon to see how those recipes are coming along…..