Vegan Lemon & Blackberry Cobbler
Butter Substitutes: Baking Addition
There are vegan substitutes for everything, but butter has many functions. It’s used for cooking and baking differently, so it would make sense that it would have a different substitute for different purposes.
In this case, our substitute is coconut oil (with some minour tweaks). To understand why we’re using this substitute, we have to understand the specifics of butter so we can know what to replace.
Why Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil, like butter, is made up of primarily fatty acids (aka saturated fats). The role of fats are to provide flavour, lubrication, and structure. It helps to leaven the structure of baked goods because it acts as a barrier between the water and proteins by coating the flour. This ends up making the gluten strands shorter, and will leave you with a baked good that is less tough than one without fat.
Unlike coconut oil, however, butter is 15-30% water. Oil products by definition have a 0% water content, so we have to balance that out and add it back into our mixture for a moist bake. After many tests and some calculations we’ve come up with the ultimate substitute ratio:
1 Cup Butter : 9/10 Cup Coconut Oil + 2 Tbsp Oat Milk
Refined vs Unrefined Coconut Oil
The main differences between the two are the smoking point, melting point, and flavour. You can go through based on your own recipe, but if you’re not looking for a coconut taste then refined is probably the way to go for you.
No matter which you choose, they still both have the high fat content you’re looking for!
Refined:
Reduced Coconut flavour
Higher smoke point (~400°F/205°C)
Usually cheaper
Unrefined:
More prominent coconut flavour
Lower smoke point (~350°F/171°C)
Usually more expensive
Why Not Vegan Butter as a Sub?
Most vegan butters are made from a combination of coconut oil, palm oil, and various other stabilizers or enhancers. I personally try to avoid palm oil because of it’s environmental impact, but in the case of this substitute I honestly just believe using straight up coconut oil is better.
I don’t think the palm oil brings much to the table in terms of flavour. I think coconut oil is just a better way to go with this kind of thing.
Plus, vegan butter is usually more expensive. Why buy all that when a cheaper, better baking option is available?
Vegan Lemon & Blackberry Cobbler
Simone Peironnet | 6/1/2021
- prep time: 15 minutes
- cook time: 50 minutes
- total time: 1 hour
Servings: 15
Ingredients:
- 1 Lemon
- 3 Tbsp Refined Coconut Oil
- 1 Cup Oat Milk
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Golden Sugar / White Sugar
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 4 Cups Blackberries
- Healthy Pinch of Salt
Suggested Toppings:
- Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream
- Vegan Whipped Cream
Special Equipment: 10in Cast Iron Skillet (link)
Instructions:
- Zest your lemon. Combine zest and sugar in a small bowl, set aside. The longer this sits, the more infused & lemony your sugar will be.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- In a large bowl, combine your flour, salt, baking powder, and 1/4 cup infused sugar. Mix until well combined.
Melt your coconut oil by heating in the microwave at 10 second intervals until liquid. Add your melted coconut oil, vanilla, and oat milk into your dry mixture. Mix until well combined. Lightly grease your 9x9 baking dish or cast iron skillet. Pour mixture in.
Rinse your blackberries and pat dry. Place blackberries on top of your wet mixture. Your batter will end up rising around your blackberries, so don't worry if this seems backwards. Juice 1/2 of your lemon over the top of your cobbler, Do Not Mix. Sprinkle the rest of your infused sugar on top of your cobbler. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the top.
Bake cobbler for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes once done.
Serve with Vanilla Nice Cream and enjoy!
Still got a sweet tooth? Give these a try!