It’s been over a week since the start of the COVID-19 recovery plan in New Brunswick, allowing families to gather with one other household without social distancing. The province hasn’t had any new coronavirus cases in the last two weeks so we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
With that said, we partnered with my aunt and uncle for this “two-family bubble” phase of recovery so we can enjoy each other’s company over a nice dinner. Yesterday was my aunt’s 67th birthday so I seized the occasion to bake a nice cake.
The arrival of the warm weather inspired me to make a strawberry cake, layered with fresh strawberries and a buttercream frosting. The cake was definitely a success; moist, fluffy and as tasty as it looked! Because I’m not as confident with baking as I am with cooking, I based myself on this cake recipe that I found on another blog and adapted it a little.
For the frosting, I created my own by using both vegan butter and vegetable shortening as a base. The shortening helps thicken the icing, preventing it to melt. I blended strawberries and added the purée to the buttercream (just like in the cake) to add flavour and a nice pink colour.
If you’re looking for a healthy cake alternative, that’s unfortunately not the best option. This cake and frosting are both plant-based and made with fresh strawberries, but they also contain lots of fat, flour and sugar. But hey, it’s a birthday cake that is meant for special occasions, and I can assure you that it was totally worth it!
P.S. You’ll notice that my cake has three layers, while the recipe only makes two. That’s because I accidentally broke a layer as I flipped it around and decided to make a second batch, leaving me with three layers. Feel free to doubling the recipe if you want extra layers.
Vegan strawberry cake with buttercream frosting
Ingredients
Strawberry cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup strawberry purée
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
- 1 flax egg (see instructions)
Strawberry buttercream
- 3/4 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup strawberry purée
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- fresh strawberries, to assemble and decorate
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare your flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp of warm water. Let sit for a few minutes until it becomes gloopy.
- Prepare one cup of strawberry purée by blending fresh strawberries in a blender or food processor.
- In a big mixing bowl, sift the flour and mix in the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add the strawberry purée, flax egg, oil and vinegar. Mix with a spoon, since it will be too thick to use a whisk. Don't over-mix.
- Grease two 7" or 8" cake tins and place a circle of parchment paper at the base of each one. Divide the batter evenly between them and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the the cake centre comes out clean.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream frosting
- Beat the vegan butter and shortening together until light and creamy (2-3 minutes) using an electric hand or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt, strawberry purée and beat to combine. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat on low to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for an extra 2 minutes.
- The frosting should be thick but spreadable. If needed, add some non-dairy milk (one tablespoon at a time) until it reaches the desired consistency.
Assembling the cake
- If your cake layers aren't totally flat, level them out by slicing the top off with a long serrated knife. Make sure the cakes are completely cooled off before doing so.
- Place the first cake on a plate/stand and top with a layer of frosting, followed by a layer of fresh cut strawberries. If you're making a three or four layer cake, repeat that step between each layer.
- Add the top layer and frost the entire cake. Add fresh strawberries to decorate, and it's ready to serve!
That was sooo good ! Thank you Marie 🙂
Merci Sylvie! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂