Gold Coast vegan bakery reveals secrets how their treats are made without animal products

EVER wanted to know how the vegans make treats taste like the traditional sweets we all know and love? Helensvale’s Flour of Life Bakery lets us in on a little secret.

The amazing vegan treats made by Flour of Life Bakery at Helensvale. Photo: Steve Holland

THE GOLD Coast’s first vegan bakery has dished out a few secrets when it comes to making traditional naughty treats nice.

Whether its lemon meringue, vanilla slice, cupcakes, apple pie, custard tarts, croissants or galaxy doughnuts, the Flour of Life Bakery in Helensvale can whip it up without any animal products — and it tastes just like the real thing.

Fruit flans, doughnuts, apple crumble ... and yes, it’s all vegan. Photo: Steve Holland

But how, when butter and eggs are such a staple in traditional treats?

Owner Steve O’Brien said baking without eggs and butter wasn’t such a big deal now, but admitted when he first became vegan he thought he wouldn’t be able to eat pavlova again.

“I fair dinkum thought pavlova and lemon meringue were off the table,” he said.

Mouth-watering caramel tarts are just one of the delectable treats available. Photo: Steve Holland

Then, a chance sighting of a Facebook group called Vegan Meringue Hits and Misses lead him to an unusual product called Aquafaba.

Made of chickpea brine, the starchy water leftover after chickpeas have been cooked, the product was being used to create amazingly fluffy meringue and pavlova.

“It fluffed up like eggwhites,” Mr O’Brien said.

Staff member Janine Fleischfresser with some amazing vegan treats made by Flour of Life Bakery at Helensvale. Photo: Steve Holland

“They’re chemically similar, it’s a long chain protein. You can use it as a straight egg replacement, it’s very versatile.’

And replacing butter is even easier.

“Cakes are really easy, we use sunflower oils or fats that would substitute with butter,” he said.

“We can make sponge, gateau, carrot cake, marble cake. Whatever you can think of we can make it. Quite honestly, it’s the real thing, just slightly different.”

We’ll take it all please. Photo: Steve Holland

Mr O’Brien said since the bakery had been doing really well since it opened more than six months ago and were alongside their usual array of delicious treats, were making about seven event cakes per week to order.

He said they tried to use local products when they could and used a Burleigh Heads chocolate called Crave.

Custard tart without the egg? Yes please! Photo: Steve Holland