Classic Vanilla, Cream & Fruit Birthday cake in vegan version!

The idea for this cake came up when I wanted to make a beautiful and impressive cake for my friend’s birthday that wouldn’t ‘look vegan’. I have made plant-based chocolate sponge and icing before but to make this in a white version seemed a bit more of a challenge. I tried a few recipes and after making some changes to them I ended up with this version that I think works perfectly.

The sponge has got a delicate aftertaste of vanilla, it is super moist and soft and very easy to work with when building the cake and then cutting it.

The icing is very creamy and perfectly firm, not too sweet and slightly tangy.

It takes some time to build the cake, but the final effect is very impressive and I bet you, nobody will believe that the whole thing is plant-based.

You will need:

For the sponge:

• 400g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 400ml plant-based milk
• 150ml sunflower oil

For the icing:

• 500g full-fat plant-based spread, chilled, plus extra for greasing
• 350g icing sugar
• juice squeezed from ½ lemon
• zest grated from 1 lemon

Plus:

• 10-15 strawberries,
• 10 raspberries,
• 15 blueberries
• 3 tbsp your favourite jam (I used strawberry)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lay the bottom of a round 20cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. To make the sponge, put all the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix thoroughly. Put all the wet ingredients in another bowl and also mix. Using electronic hand mixer, slowly pour the wet ingredients into to the first bowl while mixing continuously. Mix until smooth and fluffy.
3. Pour 1/3 of the mix into the tin and bake for 15-17 min. While the sponge is baking, put the remaining dough mix in the fridge. Take out of the oven and then take the sponge out of the tin without removing the baking paper. Set aside to cool. Lay the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper one more time, pour 1/3 of the dough mix and again bake for 15-17 min. Repeat this one more time to get 3 separate layers of sponge.
4. While the sponge is cooling down, make the icing. Simply put the plant-based spread in a bowl and start mixing using electric hand mixer. Gradually add the sugar while mixing continuously. At the end add lemon juice and lemon zest. Altogether it should take 7-10 min to obtain the desired consistency. Store the icing in the fridge until the sponge has cooled down completely.
5. Start building the cake by spreading 1 tbsp of jam on the bottom sponge, then put a layer of icing on top and cover it with thinly sliced strawberries (like in the picture below). Put the middle sponge on top and repeat. Finish with the top sponge and cover it with jam and icing but skip the strawberries. Using an icing spatula (or a knife) spread the icing evenly on the top and on the sides. Decorate with fresh fruit. Store in the fridge and eat within 5 days.

Enjoy!