CAKE DAD: vegan cake recipe
after over 4 years, she has arrived
Hello hello and happy summer. I’ll be posting again shortly about my trip to nova scotia and some food recommendations for you! Essays will remain free but recipes are for paid subscribers! If you want to wait and just get some recipes and dip, I respect that! If you have the means and you’d like to support me here, thank you! Ok, cake.
It is finally time! I’ve been wanting to release this recipe for so long but it was never quite right. This is the ultimate sharable cake. It is vegan and gluten-free and can be made nut-free and soy-free.
I have been working on this cake recipe for around 4 years. Vegan baking, at least in the west, is still a very new artform1. And vegan and gluten free bakes are even more niche. The biggest struggle with gluten-free and vegan baking is the lack of protein; there’s no wheat flour, eggs, or milk to rely on for structure, life, and lightness. This is not a light sponge, its texture sits somewhere before a cake and a muffin.
This cake is my baby and I have many caveats and specific products that I like to create to make the best vegan gluten-free cake. This cake is flavourful and not gummy. It relies on the reverse creaming method- where we mix the dry ingredients and fat are combined before the wet ingredients are added. The batter may seem a little runny but it’s ok. Be sure to use a toothpick to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Enjoy!
Some notes on:
Milk
For best results I recommend unsweetened soy milk (if you can tolerate it) made without gums or stabilisers. The absolute best soy milk can only really be found near the tofu in an Asian grocery store. If you don’t have access check labels for the milk with higher protein and less starch and ingredients. Thickeners like guar gum can make the cake thick, sticky and gummy. In a pinch oat or almond milk work, ideally, again, without too many thickeners. In a pinch you can use water but the cake won’t be as fluffy.
Flour
I use a combination of gluten-free flour mix and whole grain flour in this recipe. Without eggs for lift, this cake becomes gummy with too much starch and stabilisers. Most gluten-free flour blends have a similar ratio of rice:gf grains:starch. I prefer bob’s red mill 1 for 1. It hydrates the most consistently. I would strongly avoid any flours with chickpea or bean flours in them. They taste like beans.
Oil
Generally, I prefer using oils in cakes. It keeps them fluffier at cool temperatures. If you’re looking to stack or carve cakes I would recommend using melted coconut oil or vegan butter. It will set the cake firm when it cools. I would love to make this with a good vegan butter, like miyoko’s, but that seems almost too luxurious.
Beans!
I love you person who figured out aquafaba as an egg substitute. You can use canned chickpea, navy or white kidney beans ( also black beans but your buttercream will be lightly grey). Honestly, whatever beans you will eat. I usually sauteed em with a bunch of olive oil and garlic and then kinda half mash’ em. Finish with lemon, salt and pepper.
Vegan Gluten-Free Cake Recipe
Cake:
2 cups (500mL) unsweetened soy milk, oat milk, or other alt milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp (30mL) white vinegar
1 ⅔ (320g) cup sugar
1.5 (180g) cups gluten-free flour blend (Bob’s red mill 1 for 1)
1.5 (180g) cups sorghum or gluten-free oat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
⅔ (140g) cup canola oil, melted refined coconut oil or other neutral oil
Frosting:
150g aquafaba (liquid from about 1 can of low-salt chickpeas or white kidney beans)
275g sugar
pinch of citric acid or cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
445g vegan butter, cut into pieces (remove from fridge 1 hour before beginning)
2 tsp vanilla extract (or to taste)
Cake
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 2- 8”pans
or 3- 6” pans. Set aside.
In a measuring cup combine soy milk, vanilla and vinegar. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Add oil. Whisk to combine. Mixture will be dry-ish.
Add soy milk-vinegar mixture to the large bowl. Whisk until lumps are no longer visible. Divide cake batter equally between pans. Bake 20-30 minutes. Cakes will be lightly golden on top and pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan. Use a toothpick to ensure that the centre is set.
Allow to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Gently remove cakes from pans and cool on a rack. When fully cooled wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge until ready to frost. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Frosting
Place aquafaba, sugar, citric acid, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low whisking occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. You should be able to rub the mixture between your fingers and feel no sugar granules. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the mixture until it is opaque and forms very soft peaks. This could cake 10-15 minutes! Add vanilla.
Add butter in 3 additions, incorporating the butter and then adding more. Buttercream may appear lumpy, continue to mix. If lumpy, melt ½ cup of buttercream and add back to the mixture. If soupy, place the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Assemble <3 For more info watch my youtube video on frosting cakes.
Flavour options:
cherry chip: Decrease sugar by ¼ cup. Sub ¼ cup of the milk for maraschino cherry syrup. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped maraschino cherries to batter right before pouring in pans, setting aside 2 tbsp to sprinkle on top of each before placing in oven. Add ½-1 tsp cherry extract/flavouring to buttercream
rose cardamom: Add 1.5 tsp ground cardamom with flour. Sub ⅓ cup milk for rosewater. If desired, add a drop of rose flavouring to the buttercream.
matcha: sift 2 tsp of culinary-grade matcha into the bowl along with the flour. Add a dot of green food colouring if green colour is desired.
brown sugar: substitute packed dark brown sugar in the cake or buttercream