The vegan sponge
recipe inspiration from here. For the frosting and cake decoration, inspiration can be found here.
Tips to make the project go faster-
- First, remove all the vegan butter and let it come to room temperature. Then, prepare the rest of the items.
- Make the cream cheese frosting first, then use the same bowl to make the cake batter. This will save an extra wash.
- If you live in a warm climate, keep the A/C on while assembling. Assemble the layers, then freeze for half an hour. Finish frosting with the cream, then freeze again before decorating with the mangoes.
Ingredients
- 1 + ⅓ cups (300ml) dairy-free milk. I have used Milkadamia macadamia milk and Westsoy soy milk with good results.
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 + ⅓ cups (325g) self-raising flour
- 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
- ¾ (150gm) cup vegan butter- I used Miyoko’s cultured butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease 2 x 20cm (8″) round cake pans and line the bottoms with baking parchment.
- Stir the vinegar or lemon juice into the dairy-free milk and leave for a few minutes to curdle slightly and create ‘buttermilk’.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the buttermilk and beat again.
- Scrape the sides clean with a spoon and beat once more to ensure everything is uniform.
- Add the flour one half at a time and beat for only a second or two. Scrape and mix with a spoon. Repeat with the other half of the flour. Do not overmix, as that can activate the gluten, and the cake will end up with a gummy texture. I only mix two seconds at a time.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Mango Filling
- 1lb frozen mango chunks
- 2 tbsp sugar
Blend into a smooth purée.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz vegan cream cheese (2 packages), softened (I have used one Tofutti and one Miyoko’s OR two violife(best one) with good results)
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp) vegan butter(I used earth balance sticks), softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions for the cream cheese:
Let the butter soften at room temperature(not melted or runny). Add the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar and beat with an electric hand mixer.
Make it gluten-free
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar(or granulated sugar)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat to 350 degrees F and lightly grease one 8-inch round pan. I also put a piece of round parchment paper in the bottom for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the soy milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir well, but do not overmix. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
- I made trifles with the cake. I cut rounds from the cake, sliced them into halves, and layered them into mason jars in this order: cake, mango puree, mango slices, cream cheese frosting.
Layering the cake
I forgot to take a picture with the mango slices, but there is a generous layer of uniform mango slices under the cream.
