Plum Upside Down Cake (Vegan + GF)

Hold onto your hats! This recipe takes the cake and (literally) flips it on its head. Juicy, tart plums nestle into soft, fluffy, perfectly sweet almond cake. You won’t want to miss out on this plum upside down cake — it’s THE summer cake you’ve been w…

Plum Upside Down Cake (Vegan + GF)

Hold onto your hats! This recipe takes the cake and (literally) flips it on its head. Juicy, tart plums nestle into soft, fluffy, perfectly sweet almond cake. You won’t want to miss out on this plum upside down cake — it’s THE summer cake you’ve been waiting for! 

Bonus? It’s vegan, gluten-free, and you’ll need just 10 ingredients. Let’s bake, friends!

This cake begins with the upside down plums!

Plum Upside Down Cake (Vegan + GF) from Minimalist Baker →

Summer Fruit Galette

Being a baker, summer is my favorite time of year. Not only are peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums abundant at the market, but as the seasons progress, the volume of fruits lowers the price, and I stock up on whatever I can, whenever I can. At Paris markets, I try to search out producteurs, the vendors who grow the food they sell, and every summer, one in…

Being a baker, summer is my favorite time of year. Not only are peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums abundant at the market, but as the seasons progress, the volume of fruits lowers the price, and I stock up on whatever I can, whenever I can.

At Paris markets, I try to search out producteurs, the vendors who grow the food they sell, and every summer, one in particular shows up at my market with lots of Reine Claude and mirabelle plums, a few different varieties of cherries, plump melons that you can smell standing a few feet away, tender figs, and fresh apricots.

Making the shopping experience even better, were the fellows who sold the fruits. Not only were they easy on the eyes, but they often put punky-looking cherries in baskets, labeling them “for clafoutis” (a nicer way of saying “for baking”) and selling them at a reduced price. This year, there seems to have been a turnover in staff – zut – but the replacements also offer up the imperfect fruit, or even an overload, at a discount.

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Vegan Gluten-Free Rhubarb Crisp

We’re all for strawberry + rhubarb, but sometimes rhubarb deserves to be in the spotlight, unmasked by other flavors! Enter this simple, vegan + gluten-free RHUBARB crisp. It showcases the tangy, bright flavor of rhubarb while enhancing it with a perfe…

Vegan Gluten-Free Rhubarb Crisp

We’re all for strawberry + rhubarb, but sometimes rhubarb deserves to be in the spotlight, unmasked by other flavors! Enter this simple, vegan + gluten-free RHUBARB crisp. It showcases the tangy, bright flavor of rhubarb while enhancing it with a perfectly sweet oat-almond topping.

Made in 1 bowl with just 8 ingredients, it’s a low-effort dessert perfect for spring and summer. Let’s get crispy!

The simple rhubarb filling comes together with just 4 ingredients, with fresh or frozen rhubarb being the star of the show.

Vegan Gluten-Free Rhubarb Crisp from Minimalist Baker →

Tahini Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Welcome to our new favorite dessert: a chewy, gooey, oh-so delicious SKILLET cookie! It’s one of the easiest desserts we’ve ever made. Just stir, spread, bake, and enjoy. No scooping or mixer required!
It’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free, generousl…

Tahini Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Welcome to our new favorite dessert: a chewy, gooey, oh-so delicious SKILLET cookie! It’s one of the easiest desserts we’ve ever made. Just stir, spread, bake, and enjoy. No scooping or mixer required!

It’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free, generously studded with chocolate, and has a creamy tahini cookie base sweetened with maple syrup. Ready in less than 30 minutes, it’s going to be your new go-to! Get your skillet — let’s make a BIG cookie.

Tahini Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie from Minimalist Baker →

Chocolate Orange Streusel Muffins

Chocolate and orange together in one mouthwatering muffin! Studded with dark chocolate chunks and piled high with a crunchy chocolate streusel topping, these muffins are, simply put, showstoppers. These orange-scented muffins are studded with dark chocolate chunks and topped with a sweet and salty cocoa streusel that bakes up delightfully crisp and crunchy, providing the […]

The post Chocolate Orange Streusel Muffins first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Chocolate and orange together in one mouthwatering muffin! Studded with dark chocolate chunks and piled high with a crunchy chocolate streusel topping, these muffins are, simply put, showstoppers.

These orange-scented muffins are studded with dark chocolate chunks and topped with a sweet and salty cocoa streusel that bakes up delightfully crisp and crunchy, providing the perfect textural contrast to the lusciously soft and moist interior.

Chocolate Orange Streusel Muffins in natural newsprint tulip wrappers, on a square marble trivet with mandarin oranges on the side.

Ever wonder about the evolution of a recipe?

In this case, I actually set out to make craquelin-topped muffins, where I placed a disc of craquelin on top of the unbaked muffin batter, hoping it’d rise and crackle like a cream puff.

My first test came out surprisingly well (I was shocked, actually), but subsequent batches were not quite so aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately I nixed the idea (brilliant as it may be) just because the results were so inconsistent.

But I loved the taste and texture of the crispy craquelin on top of the softer muffin base—the rich chocolate flavor and punch of salt was the perfect contrast to the tender orange muffin. I didn’t want to lose that, so I decided to replace the craquelin with a chocolate streusel topping instead to achieve the same textural contrast but hopefully with more consistent results.

I quickly realized that a chocolate streusel is nearly identical to the components of chocolate craquelin—flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, butter and salt—just with slightly more flour and crumbled instead of rolled into disks. So really, I didn’t have to sacrifice anything in the end!

Row of Chocolate Orange Muffins with chocolate streusel on top, on a gray background, baked in newsprint tulip wrappers.

I tested chocolate streusels with both melted and cold butter, and ultimately decided on the cold butter version as I found it to be crunchier and less prone to sinking than the melted version. It comes together somewhat like a pie dough, although you want to keep working it and rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it comes together into a dry dough; you won’t have visible chunks of butter like with pie dough.

The crunchy muffin tops are arguably the best part of any muffin, doubly so for this version with its crunchy, salty chocolate streusel topping. That said, you can skip the streusel if you really want to; instead, sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar and add few chunks of chocolate to finish them off.

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Easy Baked Strawberry Donuts (Vegan + GF)

Introducing a delicious new treat that’ll put your beautiful fresh strawberries to use: strawberry donuts! These bright, berry-packed beauties boast BIG strawberry flavor, crisp edges with fluffy centers, and a glaze so good you’ll want to lick the bow…

Easy Baked Strawberry Donuts (Vegan + GF)

Introducing a delicious new treat that’ll put your beautiful fresh strawberries to use: strawberry donuts! These bright, berry-packed beauties boast BIG strawberry flavor, crisp edges with fluffy centers, and a glaze so good you’ll want to lick the bowl clean. They’re vegan + gluten-free, but nobody will know it!

Just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes required! What are you waiting for?! Grab your strawberries and let’s make donuts!

Easy Baked Strawberry Donuts (Vegan + GF) from Minimalist Baker →

Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese’s Dupe!)

When we think of Easter candy, peanut butter eggs are a must! This year, we set out to create a vegan version that’s SUPER easy to make and just as delicious as the originals! We think we crushed it, but we’ll let you be the judge. 
Simple m…

Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese’s Dupe!)

When we think of Easter candy, peanut butter eggs are a must! This year, we set out to create a vegan version that’s SUPER easy to make and just as delicious as the originals! We think we crushed it, but we’ll let you be the judge. 

Simple methods (no food processor!), 6 ingredients, and a perfectly sweet and salty peanut butter filling with a thin, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate coating. Prepare to feel nostalgic.

Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese’s Dupe!) from Minimalist Baker →

Gluten-Free Nutter Butters (Vegan)

Peanut butter lovers, rejoice! We’ve cracked the vegan, gluten-free, naturally sweetened code on the perfect little peanut butter cookie: Nutter Butters! Think a crispy, perfectly sweet peanut butter cookie and soft, creamy peanut butter filling. Swoon…

Gluten-Free Nutter Butters (Vegan)

Peanut butter lovers, rejoice! We’ve cracked the vegan, gluten-free, naturally sweetened code on the perfect little peanut butter cookie: Nutter Butters! Think a crispy, perfectly sweet peanut butter cookie and soft, creamy peanut butter filling. Swoon!

Easy to make with just 8 ingredients, this snack-able dessert will be loved by EVERYONE. Get ready to fill your cookie jar…if they make it that far! Let’s bake!

How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Nutter Butters

When it comes to Nutter Butters, there are two essentials: peanut butter and peanut butter.

Gluten-Free Nutter Butters (Vegan) from Minimalist Baker →

The Ultimate Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Bakery Worthy!)

What do Britney Spears, Back to the Future, and banana bread have in common? They’re all undeniable National Treasures. And not to be dramatic, but this gluten-free banana bread might be the be-all, end-all of banana bread: tender, moist, perfectly swe…

The Ultimate Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Bakery Worthy!)

What do Britney Spears, Back to the Future, and banana bread have in common? They’re all undeniable National Treasures. And not to be dramatic, but this gluten-free banana bread might be the be-all, end-all of banana bread: tender, moist, perfectly sweet, and undetectably gluten-free (seriously!). 

It requires simple ingredients and methods, and all the magic happens in just 1 bowl. What are you waiting for?!

The Ultimate Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Bakery Worthy!) from Minimalist Baker →

Gluten-Free PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

You can’t go wrong when peanut butter and jelly are involved. And in a cookie? Irresistible! These vegan and gluten-free thumbprint cookies are tender with crisp edges, packed with peanut butter flavor, and have a fruity jam center (a.k.a. cookie perfe…

Gluten-Free PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

You can’t go wrong when peanut butter and jelly are involved. And in a cookie? Irresistible! These vegan and gluten-free thumbprint cookies are tender with crisp edges, packed with peanut butter flavor, and have a fruity jam center (a.k.a. cookie perfection!).

Plus, they’re easy to make with just 8 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 30 minutes required! Naturally sweetened, grain-free, and oil-free too! We know: It’s magic.

Gluten-Free PB&J Thumbprint Cookies from Minimalist Baker →