Knowledge Base › Fran Costigan - Chocolate in Vegan Desserts

Can you talk about what baking powder to use with different ingredients for best leavening, eg for cupcakes and pancakes?

Chocolate in Vegan Desserts

Fran Costigan - Chocolate in Vegan Desserts

Recorded

This event was on May 5, 2026

Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, for a discussion and practical information about chocolate. We’ll explore its many forms, functions, and best uses in vegan desserts. From types of cocoa powder to bars, fèves, and chips, you’ll learn how to choose the right form for specific recipes and how chocolate behaves in batters, creams, and glazes. Chef Fran will cover melting and tempering basics as well. Common problems, including seized or overheated chocolate, will be looked at. Expect to learn how to choose quality chocolate and what labels really mean, as well as some fixes for common mistakes. Bring your queries and questions about chocolate, Fran will be ready!

View Event Details

Question

Vesanto Melina

Can you talk about what baking powder to use with different ingredients for best leavening, eg for cupcakes and pancakes?

Answer

I always use a double acting aluminum-free baking powder, and the one that I tend to use is Rumford. It's reliable. If you don't know if you're a baking powder, which should be stored airtight in a drawer and labeled with the date that you bought it because it doesn't last forever. It doesn't last forever, that's for sure. But it lasts a long time if it's stored properly. You can put some baking powder into a small dish with a little bit of hot water and it will fizz up. So that's the baking powder that I use, Vesanto. I use double acting aluminum-free. I don't need any extra aluminum in my food.

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.