Animal fats are generally unhealthy and can lead to diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Plant-based oils, on the other hand, have reduced cholesterol levels, making them a healthier option. While vegan food does not contain any animal products, it can still be heavily processed, making it no different than regular cake. As a dessert, it can be difficult to make a cake healthy while still fulfilling its purpose as a sweet treat. Raw vegan pastries are not the same as traditional cake and can be healthier if they don't contain hidden ingredients that make them more like regular cake.
People often ask me if vegan food is healthier, but it's like anything else: it contains sugar and fat like any other cake. Maple syrup is another option, but if you use it in your own vegan cake, be sure to reduce the liquids in the recipe to balance things out. There are several sugar alternatives suitable for vegans if you don't want to include sugar in your pastries, with agave nectar being one of the favorites. We glazed an egg-free and dairy-free cake with vegan vanilla frosting and dairy-free Belgian chocolate, then added mini donuts, cones, cupcakes and vegan sprinkles for a total show. Similarly, sugar is still an abundant ingredient in vegan pastries and plays an identical role in a vegan cake as it does in a non-vegan one.
I've used cake flour, all-purpose flour, even made my own cake flour, used a hand mixer and a stand mixer - but none of them gave me that spongy texture. Many people think that vegan pastries are the perfect healthy alternative to traditional pastries, but experience has taught us that they can still be just as delicious. At the end of the day, it will be the sugar that has been added to the cake mix or the sugar in the form of carbohydrates in the flour that will contribute the calories to a vegan or non-vegan cake. It is common to find low-calorie desserts and cakes where most recipes do not reveal their caloric content because they are based on ridiculous portions. Therefore, even though vegan pastries have fewer calories than those containing dairy, they often contain a good amount of sugar - so while they may be healthier than regular cakes, they are not necessarily one of your five-a-day.
