I’ll be the first to
admit that this is a bold name for a recipe. However, when one creates a truly MAGNIFICENT
cake, it seems only fitting to bestow a bold and unambiguous name upon it.
I've been in pursuit of the perfect, go-to vegan cake for YEARS. I have baked and eaten an insane amount of cake in that time (some creations definitely less tasty and satisfying than others…) but I just couldn’t get it ever quite right. I've found the biggest challenge was overcoming the absence of eggs, which naturally require some kind of vegan substitute, but finding something that didn't give a strange taste or texture seemed like mission impossible. However the day has come that I have found that ingredient, and I can guarantee it isn't what you're expecting.
Aquafaba.
Yeah. What's that you ask. Well my friends, perhaps rather unappealingly 'aquafaba' is the juice from a can of chickpeas - but please trust me, it's not gross like I almost guarantee you're thinking!
Aquafaba, when combined in an electric mixer with sugar, creates meringue. Weird right? (Don't ask me how...) Anyways, it also crucially functions as a binder, but significantly a lightweight one. Usually egg substitutes do the opposite and drag a cake down, but not the aquafaba. It, with the aid of an electric mixer and a solid 5 minutes beating, lifts everything up, which makes for the PERFECT light and fluffy cake!
I was so sceptical about aquafaba, mainly because it seemed utterly impossible to include it in baked goods and not have them come out tasting like a chickpea (and that would just be gross and very weird), but please trust me when I tell you it genuinely has no flavour in the end creation. You literally cannot taste it AT ALL. (MAGIC! – my mind has imploded with this revelation) All you can taste is a delightfully light, fluffy, gloriously tasty cake!
I've been in pursuit of the perfect, go-to vegan cake for YEARS. I have baked and eaten an insane amount of cake in that time (some creations definitely less tasty and satisfying than others…) but I just couldn’t get it ever quite right. I've found the biggest challenge was overcoming the absence of eggs, which naturally require some kind of vegan substitute, but finding something that didn't give a strange taste or texture seemed like mission impossible. However the day has come that I have found that ingredient, and I can guarantee it isn't what you're expecting.
Aquafaba.
Yeah. What's that you ask. Well my friends, perhaps rather unappealingly 'aquafaba' is the juice from a can of chickpeas - but please trust me, it's not gross like I almost guarantee you're thinking!
Aquafaba, when combined in an electric mixer with sugar, creates meringue. Weird right? (Don't ask me how...) Anyways, it also crucially functions as a binder, but significantly a lightweight one. Usually egg substitutes do the opposite and drag a cake down, but not the aquafaba. It, with the aid of an electric mixer and a solid 5 minutes beating, lifts everything up, which makes for the PERFECT light and fluffy cake!
I was so sceptical about aquafaba, mainly because it seemed utterly impossible to include it in baked goods and not have them come out tasting like a chickpea (and that would just be gross and very weird), but please trust me when I tell you it genuinely has no flavour in the end creation. You literally cannot taste it AT ALL. (MAGIC! – my mind has imploded with this revelation) All you can taste is a delightfully light, fluffy, gloriously tasty cake!
Ingredients;
125gm vegan butter (I use Nuttelex)
1/2 cup raw sugar
3 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
3 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 1/2 cups flour (I use white spelt) (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Take a large mixing bowl and place the vegan butter, raw sugar and aquafaba into it. Using an electric mixer, mix the three together for 5 minutes. It's important to mix for the entirety of that time as this step is what makes the cake light and fluffy.
3. After the butter, sugar and aquafaba has combined into a thick, creamy and slightly fluffy mixture, add in the vanilla bean paste, then mix again with the electric mixer for a minute or two.
4. Add the soy milk and half the flour to the bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold the mixture together. It's important to use the spatula so that you don't lose all the air the mixture gain when you mixed for the 5 minutes initially.
5. After the mixture is mostly combined, add in the second half of the flour along with the baking powder and bicarb soda, again gently folding the mixture in together until everything is well combined.
6. Pour the cake mixture out into a lined cake tin. Place in the oven for approx. 45 minutes, keeping an eye on things to make sure the top doesn't burn. You should be able to insert a skewer into the centre and have it come out clean when it's cooked.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before transferring to a cooling rack.
Icing
You can ice the cake with some plain coconut yoghurt (recipe here), or alternatively if you're feeling a little indulgent;
2 cans coconut cream, placed in the fridge overnight
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1. Remove the cans carefully from the fridge, being mindful not to disturb the contents. Open them, and you should be able to separate the cream part from the coconut water. This is a delicate operation, and the longer the cans have been in the fridge, the easier this will be. Scoop the cream (JUST THE CREAM!) into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the icing sugar and vanilla to the bowl and then using an electric mixer, combine on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. The length of time you mix is important, as just with the cake, it will make things light and fluffy which is precisely what you want/need in a good icing!
3. Place the icing in the fridge for a few hours to set further.
To serve the cake, you can carefully slice it in half with a bread knife to create 2 layers, with some icing and fresh strawberries in the middle (as I have done), or alternatively just ice the cake as is and serve with some fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar! Enjoy!
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