Cake-gate

[8Wina4]

I work in an office environment, in a team of around 20. Before the Easter weekend, I was chatting in the staff room on a break about how I've recently really got into baking, and one of my colleagues jokingly said that she wouldn't mind if I bought some cake to work for her to try. I promised I'd bring some home made cakes in after Easter.

Fast forward to today. I take in four different homemade cakes. I also took in some little vegan cake bites from Tesco, as we have 2 vegans in the office and I wanted them to be able to eat something nice too (everything I baked had flour/eggs in)

One of the vegans approached me at lunch, and told me that she was really disappointed that I hadn't made the effort to home bake anything vegan, and that I had promised homemade cakes, so I should have provided that for everyone. She said she didn't like the vegan cakes I'd bought from Tesco, and that she was fed up with being left out of team lunches/treats.

I was a bit taken aback, so apologised. But the more I think about it, the more I think she was actually the unreasonable one...

Thoughts?

Send a message to the whole team. "I am sorry that I will not be able to bring in anymore cakes as CF was very upset that I did not provide her/him with a homemade vegan cake and made this very clear to me. As I am not proficient at those, I will have to refrain from bringing in any more cakes."

I once tried to make a vegan cake and accidentally (no idea how) used castor oil rather than veg oil. That was an interesting cake!

I took some home made cakes into my office recently and made normal cakes, gluten free cakes and took in some shop bought vegan cakes. I felt a bit guilty as no one ate them (the shop bought ones).

Glad she realised.

I'm wheat free.

I often bake chocolate brownies for ds swim team at meets and the parents.

I can't even eat them

Likewise if someone bakes I don't expect it to be WF. Nor do I expect a WF alternative.

I make lovely fruit flapjacks. Great for all who are WF but no good for some of the GF coeliacs. Or for my colleague with diverticula disease!

You can't please everyone - even when you try as you e learnt

I actually did this but also took a vegan cake in. Researched all the ingredients and this person knew I had gone to a lot of trouble. What did they do. Moaned about the cake. I was so mad. Never again.

But how did you know she was a vegan?

Don’t worry she’ll tell you

You can use cream of tartar with bicarb or baking powder instead of eggs, soya or almond milk instead of cows milk and dairy free Marge instead of butter. However, I’d suggest you take those things & cram them up her arsd for being so crass 😊

I hope your colleague is reading this. She is rude rude rude. Next time, take her nothing. Or a lettuce.

When I was on a diet I didn't embarrass people for not accommodating me, I just brought my own snacks in and let people eat the cakes etc that they had brought in

If she's a vegan who wants a vegan cake she can bloody well make it herself. She probably has the egg substitute etc on hand at home

Tell her to shove it up her arse. Home baked cakes are a privilege, not a requirement

For people suggesting what do 'next time' - there shouldn't be a next time. OP shouldn't be running around buying cashew milk and so on for this ungrateful cow

Here’s a delicious vegan chocolate cake recipe you could try another time. But I do feel like she’s a CF so you may not want to bother again eatnotspend.com/vegan-chocolate-cake/

so thoughtful of you to find vegan cakes, she's a really CF. Don't give her any more head space. But please don't think all vegans are like that.
I have a vegan daughter, i sometimes make vegan meals or cakes when she's home, but more often don't bother and buy her something ready made, or she'll make her own.
She's always grateful either way, she understands it's her choice to be vegan and that the rest of the world isn't going to bend over backwards and put themselves out to accommodate her.

I had the best ever chocolate brownie with cherries at a place called vertigo in Manchester- it’s all vegan food

Just wanted to share

O the colleague behaved unkindly, such a shame when you were acting with good intentions

First of all, YANU. Secondly, I'm vegan. Please don't hold this again all of us. She's clearly got a screw loose.
On another note, if you are really into baking and want to make something for lovely vegans (like me), check out using aquafaba to replace eggs. Works in many (not all) recipes. Google is your friend.
Keep on being a nice co-worker and ignore this crazy person.

OP - you are a lovely person. This colleague was definitely out of order and some of the responses on this thread a bit surprising, too.

Sounds like you handled it really well, and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t bake for colleagues again. I would never expect my vegan colleagues to cater non vegan food for me, as would they never expect me to bake a vegan cake for them. I, like you, have provided shop bought vegan treats for them previously.

However, saying that - I have stolen my vegan colleague’s chocolate cake recipe because it was so delicious! And it’s incredibly simple to make, too! Here it is if you ever want to have a go. 😁

veggiedesserts.co.uk/best-vegan-chocolate-cake/

x

@FoodologistGirl that cake looks delicious but does it really need 400g of sugar?? No wonder it tastes good!

@ElizabethMountbatten your response is perfect!

So the vegan will be making cakes to everyone's taste? Thought not!

Until she starts baking for you, I wouldn't worry about it.

I work in a small office. Of about 16 of us in regularly, about 3 are vegan/gluten-free. I have occasionally baked a vegan snack for them but I wouldn't worry if I took something else in. They know it's hard to cater for all. Someone else is allergic to banana and one is allergic to almonds.

HeddaGarbled

I think if you’d made one cake, she’d be unreasonable to be aggrieved. But to make 4 different ones but none of them suitable for your two vegan colleagues does seem a little unkind. Homemade cakes and shop bought are not really comparable, are they?

Spot the vegan! You lot can even take a nice thing, free cake, into an excuse to guilt trip everyone else!

My friend and I baked a vegan cake once. It gave us severe diarrhea. I would give you the recipe but the horrible experience made me throw it away!

BTW, I am vegetarian and I would never expect someone to go out of their way to bring in something to fit my dietary restrictions if they were bringing something with meat in it for everyone else. I think you were extremely thoughtful bringing something in for them too.

Actually OP when she's brought her vegan cakes in, how were they? I'm assuming that she has an excellent recipe?

I think I know this person Feel free to point out that you have become good at baking by practicing cakes that you and your family enjoy eating. If she would like to practice vegan cakes enough times to make a good one she can share proudly with the rest of the office, that’s her lookout. No need for you to cook something that doesn’t make your heart sing on her account (or his, if it’s not actually the person I have in mind!)
On the other hand, as it’s Anzac Day today, if you fancy making something super easy and tasty (and vegan if you substitute for the normal butter), try this www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-anzac-biscuits/ Happy baking!

Why are some people so proud of being ignorant? It’s very odd. All this “Oh I can’t be doing with all these weird ingredients” “vegan cake gave me diarrhoea” “vegan cake tastes of disappointment” stuff. The anti vegan sentiment is baffling.

@Mum4Blake here is a yummy gf df recipe for you: glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/2015/11/01/recipe-gluten-free-lemon-meringue-pie-with-biscuit-base-dairy-free/ Loved by all I’ve fed it to, including those who eat everything.

OP’s CF colleague can’t have any though, because it contains eggs. Shame! Ha!