What says spring, summer and good vibes more than strawberries and cream? This combo is perfect for this time of year if you ask me, and this vegan layer cake is super simple yet damn delicious! The flavours are simple and plain but pair together so perfectly and strikes a beautiful balance between refreshing and sweet. I hope you give this recipe a go and remember to tag me @mealsbymiri on Instagram if you do so I can see your results.
Ingredients
400g all purpose flour
375g granulated sugar
1.5tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp fine table salt
400g unsweetened soy milk
20g apple cider vinegar
90g vegan butter
Egg replacer for baking equal to 2 eggs (I used orgran egg replacer)
1.5tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
2x 22cm cake pans Electric beater
2 wire racks for the oven
Parchment paper
Paper towels (quite a lot of them)
Aluminium foil
Offset spatula
Bench scraper (not necessary but recommended)
Cake turntable
Piping bag/ziplock bag for piping
Toppings A whole bunch of fresh strawberries, approx. 600-800g
450g vegan whipping cream
1.5 tbsp vanilla flavoured sugar (can sub for a powdered sugar)
Method: Add apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and soy milk to a bowl and leave to curdle. Mix all dry ingredients (including the sugar) and set aside. Prepare the egg replacer, and heat the butter until just melted (or use one that is liquid at room temperature). Add the curdled soy milk, egg replacer and butter into the dry mix and mix until everything is well incorporated. Line the bottom of 2x22cm springform cake tins with parchment paper. Evenly distribute the batter into both tins.
Lay out two strips of paper towels that are all long enough to wrap around the outside of your cake tins (and then a bit extra), and do the same with aluminium foil. Wet the paper towels in cold water - they should be damp but not dripping - and wrap each of them in the aluminium foil. Wrap each strip of paper towel/aluminium foil around one cake pan each. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius and place a wire rack in the oven for the cake pans to bake on. Place the cake pans in the oven next to each other (or if they won't fit on the same level, use two wire racks and place them at different heights) and bake for about 45-50 minutes until a toothpick or fork comes out clean indicating all cakes are cooked through. Leave the cakes to cool completely before topping.
Rinse and halve about 1/2 of your strawberries, removing the green stem as well. Whip your cream with the vanilla sugar/powdered sugar until it has a stiff peak consistency. Set aside about 1/4 of the whipped cream and place that in a piping bag.
Place one layer of the cake back on the bottom of the cake tin you baked it in and use this as your “cake plate” when decorating. Place this bottom layer onto the turntable. Spread on a medium/thin layer of whipped cream, and cover the entire surface with strawberries. There are many ways to do this, I personally placed the thick (cut off) ends towards the outside edge so the berries were kinda "pointing inwards" and then added enough berries to the middle section to cover completely. Then, spread on more whipped cream to fill in the cracks between the berries and use a spatula to ensure it is a smooth even layer. Place the second cake layer on top and coat the entire cake in an even layer of whipped cream. I like to use an offset spatula to spread it out first, and then use a bench scraper to scrape it off to ensure even sides. Proceed to decorate the cakes with more strawberries on top, pipe more whipped cream around the edges and feel free to add any other toppings you might want as well. I recommend chilling the cake in the fridge for at least a few hours before slicing, to allow the whipped cream to set completely. This should make it easier to slice without the strawberries popping out through the side of the cake!
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