Yes that's right, vegan fudge is possible! And guess what? It not only tastes absolutely delicious but is a whole lot easier to make than the traditional, dairy-laden stuff. So what are you waiting for? This is the perfect dose of sweetness for when you need a little bit of an afternoon or after dinner pick-me-up, but it also works really well as a gift too. Line a pretty box with greaseproof paper, arrange your sliced fudge inside, wrap up with a bow and, hey presto, a tasty treat lies in store for someone special!

1/2 cup maple or date syrup

1/2 cup high quality cocoa

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup pistachios

few drops of vanilla essence

pinch of salt

Method

1) Chop the nuts and lightly toast them in a heavy based frying pan, or in the oven. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low heat and set aside.

2) Sieve the cocoa powder into a large bowl. Slowly add the warm coconut oil and the date syrup. Stir in the vanilla essence and salt. Finally add the nuts and combine thoroughly.

3) Pour into a lined square baking pan, refrigerate until solid. Simple!

Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

300g all purpose flour

340g caster sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

170g softened vegan margarine

120ml date syrup

360ml soy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

115g cocoa powder

For the buttercream:

225g softened vegan margarine

330-450g sifted icing sugar

2 tsps vanilla.

How to:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2x 9" round cake pans. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder together and set aside. Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the date syrup and vanilla, mix well. Mix in the flour then the soy milk, mixing well until combined. Pour an equal amount of batter into the 2 cake pans. Bake for 30-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for ten minutes then gently invert onto wire cooling racks to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat margarine for about 30 seconds. Continue beating, adding the icing sugar a little at a time. Beat until smooth. Add the vanilla. Decorate with grated plain chocolate and seasonal fruit.

Recipe from the Vegan Society. Photo: Camyoga.