The highlight of every gathering

I have fabulous memories of digging in to fresh cream cakes at almost every family birthday party I went to. We never had novelty fondant-covered cakes at our gatherings.

My mum would spend all day baking, listening to her favourite songs on the cassette player and letting me lick the spoon. In our family, it’s tradition that when you make something sweet at home, the youngest child must have the first taste. It’s something we do to honour the memory of my great uncle, Velji bapu who died very young. We remember him always.

Can a vegan cake still taste good?

The sponge for this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake is entirely vegan and the cake itself can be topped with your favourite vegan whipped cream, too. Nature’s Charm do a fantastic one. It’s light, fluffy, not too sweet and tastes like it came from a bakery. I add a combination of vanilla and almond extracts to give the cake that “just baked” flavour. It’s absolutely delicious and I defy you to notice the lack of eggs or dairy in this cake.

Can I make this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake ahead of time?

I’d recommend baking the cake a few days before you want to eat it. Decorate it with jam, whipped cream, fresh fruit and chocolate curls the night before. Keep it covered and refrigerated and remove it from the fridge an hour before serving to let it come to room temperature. Ultimately, this makes ALL the difference. If eaten cold, the sponge may feel too heavy.

FAQ: How to bake a vegan cake

Ingredients you’ll need for this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

• Extra-fine self raising cake flour or sponge flour
• Caster sugar
• Almond milk (or your favourite plant-based milk)
• Cornflour (cornstarch)
• Lemon juice
• Baking powder
• Soy milk powder (NOW is a great option)
• Oil (any unflavoured – I use sunflower)
• Pure vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Salt
• Vegan whipping cream (I use Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream)
• Mixed fresh fruit of your choice (I use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis, mandarins, peaches and pineapples)
• Chocolate curls (optional)

How to make Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

Print

Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword almond, baking, birthday, cake, fruit, party, vanilla, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

4 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) non-stick baking tin or 9" x 4"-deep square
• Wire cooling rack
• Baking parchment
• Whisk
• Large bowl
• Large jug

Ingredients

For the vegan vanilla sponge cake:

• 480 ml almond milk, room-temperature (or any plant-based milk)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional, or enhanced flavour)
• 180 ml oil (any unflavoured)
• 340 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour (sponge flour)
• 300 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 25 g soy milk powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

To decorate the cake:

• 300 ml vegan whipping cream, cold (I used Nature's Charm)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 200 g mixed fresh fruit of your choice (I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, mandarins, peaches and pineapples)
• Chocolate curls (optional)

Instructions

For the vegan vanilla sponge cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line a 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) non-stick baking tin (or 9" x 4"-deep square) with oil and baking parchment. Leave an overhang at either side to lift the cake out easily later.
• In a jug, whisk together the plant milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract and almond extract. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and then whisk in the oil.
• Combine the remaining dry ingredients for the sponge in a large bowl.
• Add the milk and oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth, about a minute. Do not overwork the batter.
• Pour the batter into the lined tin and rasp the base of the tin on the worktop a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. This cake will not brown too much.

To decorate the cake:

• Whip the coconut cream with some sugar. Refrigerate. Prep the fruit. Wash and dry all the berries, slice the pineapples, kiwis and peaches and drain the mandarins (I used tinned so drained the extra water, but you can also use fresh). Keep the fruit covered in a large plate in the fridge.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then carefully run a knife around the edges. Lift the cake out using the overhanging baking parchment. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Once cool, brush the cake with the warm jam and top with whipped cream. Decorate with fresh fruit and chocolate curls.

Notes

HOW TO STORE THIS CAKE:

Keep the cake covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Remove the cake from the fridge 1 hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. Slice and serve.

Pin it for later!

Like this? You’ll love these Vegan Midnight Brownies

Love Sanjana

The post Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

If you love all things cherry bakewell, marzipan or frangipane, this is the cake for you. It’s a light and airy vegan sponge with nothing more than a dusting of icing sugar and a crown of fresh cherries. No buttercream, no fuss.

Serve it with masala chai for a hint of spice and all the cosy vibes.

My sponge is made with super fine self-raising cake flour, ground almonds and a little bit of cornflour to hold everything together without eggs. Almond milk, apple cider vinegar and almond oil give it lift and moisture.

I’m a sucker for a glacé cherry and I think they work wonderfully in this recipe. Fresh cherries will also work but bear in mind they will seep juice as they bake and this could make the sponge a bit soggy. I recommend baking this cake a day in advance. The flavours and textures get better after 24 hours. You might find it a little claggy if you eat it straight away and the almond flavour won’t be as prominent.

I wrap the cake in cling film or non-stick foil as soon as it comes out of the oven (let it sit in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn it out and wrap). This keeps the outside of the cake nice and soft.

Print

Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

If you love all things cherry bakewell, marzipan or frangipane, this is the cake for you. It’s a light and airy vegan sponge with nothing more than a dusting of icing sugar and a crown of fresh cherries. No buttercream, no fuss.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword almond, baking, cake, cherry, vegan

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• 340 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 300 g caster sugar
• 40 g ground almonds
• 30 g cornflour
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 480 ml almond milk room temperature
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 180 ml almond oil or any flavourless oil of your choice
• 60 g glacé cherries chopped and tossed in 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds to decorate
• 80 g fresh cherries to decorate
• 2 tsp icing sugar to decorate
• Gold leaf to decorate (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line a 20cm round x 7cm deep/8-inch round x 3-inch deep cake tin with oil and baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, cornflour, sugar and salt.
• In a separate jug or glass, mix together the milk, almond extract and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes, undisturbed. After 5 minutes, add the oil and give it a brief whisk.
• Add the oil and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk for 40-60 seconds until smooth. Don’t over beat the cake batter. Fold in the glace cherries.
• Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 55-60 minutes until risen, golden and springy to the touch. You can insert a skewer into the centre to check if it comes out clean - if it does, the cake is done. If the skewer still has wet batter on it, it need a little longer in the oven.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Allow to cool. Top with cherries and dust with icing sugar before slicing and serving.

Pin it for later!

The post Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.