Ms Cupcake shows us all how to bake vegan cupcakes the easy way with simple, dairy free ingredients that taste just like its counterpart in her new book Ms Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town. We talk to her about making the book, setting up her bakery and how it all began with her journey into veganism.
Ms Cupcake
What can you tell us about Ms. Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes in Town?
I firmly believe that everyone deserves great cake, regardless of what they can, or cannot eat. I created the cookbook to feature really easy to use recipes using easy to find ingredients. At our bakery we ensure that avoiding certain foods for ethical reasons or because of allergies doesn't stop people's ability to have wonderful yummy treats - I wanted everyone to have the ability to be able to recreate these treats in their homes.
Why is it a common misconception that vegan's miss out on cakes and sweet things?
Vegan cakes/sweets and bakeries are pretty much still a new 'thing' in the UK and we're still a bit behind other countries like the United States and Canada. As it's yet to be commonplace to see vegan cakes in the UK, people assume that vegans only eat twigs and lettuce. This is definitely not the case, so here at Ms. Cupcake we are doing our bit by going on a big mission to bring decadent, vegan cake to the masses!
Please tell us about launching London's first entirely vegan cake shop back in 2011.
I'd started baking from home back in 2010 and taking my cakes to markets around London. I thought it would be a hobby or a part-time thing, but the response was incredible and I was completely run off my feet. I took on a few staff to help out and within a year of having my first market stall our shop opened in Brixton in April 2011. Having never worked in the food industry or never having run a business before, it was certainly a baptism by fire! I think that because there were no other vegan bakeries in London (or the UK for that matter) we were able to think outside the box a bit and break away from the traditions of a regular bakery. The local community and London vegans certainly rallied behind us in those early days and word began to spread.
What is your favourite recipe from the book?
Haha I get asked that question a lot - and I hate to pick favourites as each and every one of them feels like my baby! How can you pick favourites with your children?! I guess I have a special place in my heart for the Bakewell Tart Cupcake as it is one of the first vegan recipes I ever created. Also, the peanut butter snap bars are super-easy to make, so we usually have a batch of them on the go at my home.
Please tell us about your journey into veganism.
I'd been a vegetarian for many years for ethical reasons, but I have always been intolerant to dairy too. Once I began to understand what actually happens in the egg and dairy industry, vegetarianism didn't really make sense to me anymore. I was trying to make the transition to veganism but was suffering for lack of cake! By teaching myself how to bake vegan treats I simply ran out of excuses as to why I wasn't vegan - and Ms. Cupcake was born.
What is your favourite English sweet treat and why?
I've been in love with the UK for a very long time. I grew up in Canada but was fascinated by all things English. I adore Bakewell Tarts - The delicious combination of almonds, raspberry jam and icing is just mind-blowing. I love baking history of the entire UK - Bara Brith, Welsh Cakes, scones, hot cross buns - the list goes on!
Please tell us about the process of putting the book together. How long did it take? How did it all begin?
When the shop opened I was approached by a few different publishers who thought our recipes would make for a great cookery book. I thought the idea was ludicrous! Who would want my recipes? However meeting with Square Peg (Random House), they really seemed to understand what Ms. Cupcake was all about, so I thought 'let's do it!' The process took a lot longer than I thought it would as my recipes were very much like 'a bit of this and a dash of that', so the entire Ms. Cupcake team had to put in lots of hours to get the recipe amounts really exact so that people at home would get the same results we do in the bakery. Vegan baking is really different to traditional baking. Not so much that the ingredients are different, but the techniques we use are quite different - so it took a while to figure out how to get all of that 'technique' down on paper.
What are your fondest memories of selling your cakes in the markets around London before you're the days of your shop?
Those days were both exhilarating and ridiculously exhausting! If you can imagine, I was heading off to the market at around 7am each day to get my pitch and set up for the day. You are on your feet all day meeting customers and selling cake and then around 6pm you head home to make everything for the next day! I would bake and decorate until about 1am and then crawl into bed for a few hours before doing it all again the next day. Market traders work hard! It was especially tricky when it was pouring with rain or hailing or snowing - but I wouldn't miss a day! I think what kept me going was I was starting to realise how much people valued what I was doing. So many people would tell me 'this is the first cake I've eaten in 20 years'. I know it's only cake, but for people and children who have gone without, it means the world.
Why should more eateries cater for vegans and people with intolerances?
Pure and simple, it makes good business sense. If you walk into most supermarkets right now you will see a far bigger range of free-from on the shelves than ever before. Stroll down a high-street and you'll notice loads of restaurants offering free-from dishes. The demand for free-from food is absolutely sky rocketing, it's frankly silly for businesses to not realise that if they cater to more needs, they will have more money in the till. Like any industry that goes through big changes, the ones who are left behind are the ones who do not adapt to meet these exciting new challenges. I love it when I hear from other businesses that they are using the recipes from our book to offer vegan items at their café or restaurant - and quite often they say that the vegan cakes outsell the traditional ones they have on offer!
What is next for you?
Right now we're developing a new cookbook - lots of innovative new recipes are being tested as we speak! We are also opening a new production site, so that we can sell our products at more retailers around the UK. Additionally opening more shops is also on the cards. It seems like the only way is up when it comes to vegan baking!