Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday [aka Pancake Day or Mardi Gras], the day on which, traditionally, all the eggs and butter are used up before the Lenten fast begins. For those of you observing it properly, I salute you, and offer this simple vegan recipe for fairy cakes to help see you through. Unless you feel that the substitutions might break your fast.
There is nothing very complicated about these fairy cakes – I do like a nice simple recipe – and you could probably make them gluten free, too, with very little effort, just by substituting the flour for coconut flour or something. Let me know how it goes if you try this!
Ingredients:
100g each of coconut oil, sugar and flour (either self-raising or plain + 1 heaped tsp baking powder)
1 large, ripe banana, mashed
a splash of milk of your preferred variety (I used a rice/coconut combination)
1 tsp vanilla extract
(opt.) candied peel, lightly dusted in flour
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a twelve-hole cake baking tray with fairy-cake cases.
Cream together the coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the mashed banana. Stir well, then fold in the flour and candied peel. Add the vanilla and milk until it has a proper cake-batter consistency (it should fall easily, but not run, off a spoon). I do wonder whether Malibu might work as well, in place of the milk. A later test, I feel!
Spoon into the prepared cake-cases and pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
The icing is a simple glace icing with lemon flavouring.
Fairy Cake Living 
You can’t have butter or eggs during Lent?
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A strict Lenten fast is essentially vegan in character, hence all the lovely fatty sorts of foods for Shrove Tuesday. Using them up before the fast, is the idea.
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Ah, I know a lot of people go vegetarian diet during lent (with fish on Fridays). I didn’t realize it was also a vegan thing. Eggs are a difficult one for me to give up.
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I struggle with cheese (also why I tend not to be strict). One day, maybe I’ll do it properly, but not this year.
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I was just considering if I could go vegetarian for Lent but then I remembered the ground turkey I have sitting in my fridge waiting for a recipe I have planned. I should try to limit my meat at least… I am already doing a 100 days of no alcohol or sugar, so adding another thing feels daunting right now.
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I’d say that was enough denial for the time being…
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