Why You Should Bake Vegan

Chloe Coscarelli, winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars, talks baking tips, the benefits to baking vegan and her new book, Chloe's Vegan Desserts.

When Chloe Coscarelli joined the competition on Food Network's Cupcake Wars, the judges were not too sure about the product she had to offer. "The judges said they were concerned and worried when they heard that I was going to be [making] vegan cupcakes on the show," explains Coscarelli. Winning the competition, "was a great way to prove to people who aren't familiar with how delicious vegan baking can be that it can actually taste even better [than non-vegan baking]."

Coscarelli became a vegan after living a vegetarian lifestyle since her youth. As a vegetarian, the baker found herself eating unhealthy food such as pizza and macaroni and cheese. "It didn't seem like a good diet, so that's when I tried out veganism," she explains. "It really opened my eyes to a whole new cuisine and lots of new and exciting foods and flavor combinations. I felt so great eating vegan that I never went back."

In her latest book, Coscarelli focuses entirely on desserts. "The truth is right now there is such a growing group of people who want to try vegan baking," she says. "There are so many children that have allergies to dairy and eggs and also people who are trying to lower their cholesterol or just find a healthier alternative to desserts."

If you are part of this growing group interested in vegan baking or just love to bake in general, Check out the slideshow above to find out why everyone should try baking vegan, to learn some of Coscarelli's kitchen tips and to get a couple of her great dessert recipes.