Name: Kate Hackworthy
Blog name: Veggie Desserts
Where were you born: Calgary, Alberta
Where are you living now: Frome, Somerset, UK
Why did you start your blog:
I made my first vegetable cake for my son’s first birthday (chocolate beet and chocolate butternut squash, iced with avocado frosting) and from there I became completely obsessed. I then began to blog as a way to share my recipes and provide myself with a creative outlet.
How did you decide on your blog name:
My blog is all about desserts with vegetables, so veggie desserts is what I went with. Nothing too snazzy, but lets readers know what to expect.
What do you blog about:
I’m passionate about adding vegetables to desserts, as well as all of the health and taste benefits that they bring. Vegetables add moisture and sweetness meaning cakes need less fat and sugar, plus they last for ages.
From the not-so-healthy (spinach and vanilla cake, carrot meringue pie) to the very healthy (cauliflower and chocolate popsicles with pistachio dust, black forest cherry avocado mousse), all of my desserts have vegetables in them. Some recipes are vegan, sugar-free and gluten-free, while others are celebration cakes with a vegetable twist. I’m also keen to reduce food waste and provide ways of using up leftover produce and the unloved bits of fruit and veg such as carrot tops and juicer pulp.
What post are you most proud of and why:
Probably my Stinging Nettle and Lemon Cake with Lemon Frosting and Blackberries. Foraging for free ingredients is a great way to make use of the planet’s offerings, plus the cake tasted wonderful and surprised everyone who tried it.
Which post do you wish received more love and why:
My White Chocolate Yogurt Pie with Beet Pastry tasted, and looked, so vibrant, but it was actually low in fat. I think some people are put off making pastry from scratch, but it is really quite easy and you can even add some extra nutrients with something as bonkers-sounding as beets.
Which post’s success surprised you and why:
The Spinach and Coconut Yogurt Cake got a lot of love! I was thrilled that so many people embraced this one and it brought me to the attention of a major cookery website and yogurt companies.
What is the one non-kitchen gadget you can’t live without:
I’d have to say my iPhone. You can’t run a blog without being active on social media, and my phone makes it easy to keep on top of things.
What is the one kitchen gadget you can’t live without:
Probably my Froothie Optimum 9400 blender. It’s a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, but is even more powerful. It is absolutely amazing and I use it daily for smoothies, nut milks, frozen desserts, soups... I could go on and on. There’s nothing that bad boy can’t blitz.
Favourite food, care to share a recipe:
I love so many foods, but at the moment I get the most excited about the classic combination of avocado on toast with chilli flakes, lime juice and black pepper. Ask me tomorrow and I’d probably answer something completely different!
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your about me page:
I left Canada when I was a teenager to backpack around Europe with my best friend Katya. We lived in treehouses around the Mediterranean for a few months and then partied beneath the bright lights of London and loved every minute. We returned to Vancouver, packed our bags and moved to London. 17 years later and I’m still in the UK.
What makes your blog unique
I’m sure my blog is the only one that is exclusively about desserts with vegetables!
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What a cool concept. Thanks for introducing me to this blog!