Erin O'Leary Stewart's Vegan Holiday Dessert Recipes (2024)

Vegan, Yield: 16

Roasted Pears

- 4 bosc pears, quartered lengthwise, core removed, keeping stem intact

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

- ⅛ tsp each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and sea salt

- ¼ tsp chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Cranberry-Spice Cake

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- ½ tsp baking soda

- ½ tsp baking powder

- ¼ tsp fine sea salt

- ⅛ tsp each of cardamom, clove, nutmeg

- ¼ tsp cinnamon

- ¼ cup good extra virgin olive oil

- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp maple syrup

- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp water

- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

- 1 Tbsp orange zest

- ¾ cup fresh cranberries

Cardamom Whip

- 1 can coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

- ¼ tsp cardamom

Cranberry Gastrique

- 1 cup fresh cranberries

- ½ cup coconut palm sugar

- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

- ½- 1 cup water

Pistachio-Amaranth Dust

DEFINE foods’ BALANCE Granola, pulsed in a food processor (Purchase HERE)

To roast the pears, preheat the oven to 375° F. Place the pears on a baking sheet cut-side up. Drizzle with the olive oil, maple, and lemon juice, and sprinkle with the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, rosemary and salt. Roast for 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and starting to caramelize. Allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the olive oil cake, preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly grease a half sheet pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, water, orange juice and zest. Fold in the cranberries. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the prepared pan evenly with batter. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Run a knife between the cake and the side of pan to loosen the edges before removing from pan. Cut out shapes as you wish to serve.

To make the cardamom cream, scrape the solidified coconut cream from the top half of the chilled coconut milk and place into a chilled stand mixer bowl. Do not include any of the coconut water from the bottom half of the can. Whisk on high speed for a few minutes, adding in the maple syrup and cardamom, until the mixture begins to stiffen. Chill covered in the refrigerator.

To make the gastrique, add the cranberries, sugar, maple and lemon juice in a small saucepan and reduce about 30 minutes until thick bubbles form and sauce has reached thick consistency, adding water a little at a time until desired consistency. Spoon mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove all solids and transfer to a squeeze bottle.

To serve, place two pieces of pear on each plate, following by 2-3 cake pieces. Spoon some of the granola dust, and the whip and drizzle with the gastrique to finish.

Vegan, Yield: 1 single layer 9-inch cake

Maple-Walnut Crumble

- 1 cup walnuts

- ¼ cup maple syrup

- 2 tsp sea salt

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

- 2 cups Spelt flour (or other flour of choice)

- ¾ tsp sea salt

- 1 ½ tsp baking powder

- ½ tsp baking soda

- 2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

- ¼ tsp ground cloves

- 1 cup pumpkin puree*

- 1 cup canola oil

- 1 ⅓ cups maple sugar (or other sugar of choice)

- 3 eggs

- ¾ cups chopped walnuts (optional)

- ¾ cups chocolate chips (optional)

Chocolate Ganache

- 1 cup semisweet (dairy-free) chocolate chips

- ¼ cup vanilla coconut or soy milk

- 1 Tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly oil and fit a 9-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Start making the topping by mixing together the walnuts, maple and sea salt in a small bowl. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until you smell the aroma of toasted walnuts and the maple is just bubbling. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, and sugar until well-combined. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts and the chocolate chips, stirring just until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Add the walnut topping and then bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

In the meantime, make the chocolate ganache by melting the chocolate chips with the milk, whisking over a double-boiler set over simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat and whisk in 1 Tbsp of oil until smooth. Set aside.

Remove the cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack and drizzle with the chocolate ganache before serving.

*To make fresh pumpkin puree, preheat the oven to 325° F. Halve and scoop out the seeds from 2-3 small pumpkins. Roast the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet in the oven for about 30-45 minutes until fork tender. Peel off the skins and puree the flesh in a food processor until smooth.

Gluten-free, Vegan, Yield: 3-4 cups

- 1 cup cacao butter

- 1 cup raw cacao powder

- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup

- Pinch sea salt

- 1 tsp vanilla

- ½ cup dried goji berries, cranberries, pistachios, cacao nibs

-Maldon sea salt

Melt the cacao butter in a saucepan over a double boiler.

Pour the melted butter into a mixing bowl. Add the cacao powder, maple, sea salt, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the nuts and fruit and transfer to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and break into pieces with your hands. Enjoy.

*Chocolate will keep in the fridge for at least three weeks.

Vegan, Yield: 12

Chocolate Cake

- 1 cup spelt flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa

- ½ cup organic coconut palm sugar

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp sea salt

- ½ tsp cinnamon

- ½ cup olive, coconut or canola oil

- 1 cup pure maple syrup

- 2 cups coconut or soy milk

- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 cup mini (dairy-free) chocolate chips

flaky sea salt

Chocolate Crumble

6 chocolate cupcakes (from above cake recipe)

- 1 Tbsp coconut or canola oil

- 3 Tbsp agave

- ½ tsp sea salt

Chocolate Ganache

- 1 cup semisweet (dairy-free) chocolate chips

- ¼ cup vanilla coconut or soy milk

- 1 Tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Oil the bottom and sides of 12 mini glass oven-proof pots or jars, plus 1 cupcake pan to make 6 cupcakes.

Sift together over a medium bowl the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. In another medium bowl, whisk the oil, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and vinegar until well blended. Pour into the dry mix and stir until the batter is smooth.

Pour half the batter into the cupcake pan. Stir the chocolate chips into the remaining batter and pour into the mini pots. Bake on the center rack in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are set, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl use your hands to crumble the 6 cupcakes into small pieces. Add the oil, agave and salt and fold together until thoroughly combined. Spread the Chocolate Crumble pieces onto a lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes until they start to crisp up. Be careful not to burn.

To make the chocolate ganache, melt the chocolate chips with the milk, whisking over a double-boiler set over simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat and whisk in 1 Tbsp of oil until smooth. Set aside.

Spoon the Chocolate Crumble over the mini cakes and press slightly with your fingers. Drizzle the Chocolate Ganache over cake and crumble to liking. Sprinkle sea salt flakes for a finishing touch.