This is a recipe that I got from a blog called "Cake Mom". I was looking for a vegan strawberry cake that I could bake for Ekaa for her second birthday. She is too young to ask for a Spider-Man, Dinosaur or any special cake. I know that she is a strawberry lover so this turned out to be perfect for her!
Of course I have made some modifications based on my decorating skills, which is definitely not like an expert. Also since her birthday fell on a weekday, I had to keep my life simple by using store bought vegan frosting. I will give more details later. Now let us get started.
You will need:
Strawberry:
I bought 2lbs pack of strawberries
About half of the pack (1lb) strawberries I used for the puree for cake and compote
Some for chopped strawberries (1/2 cup) for compote
And some to make strawberry roses for decoration
For cake:
Dry ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar (cane or brown sugar)
Wet ingredients:
1 cup strawberry puree
1/3 cup oil (vegetable/canola)
1 tbsp vinegar (I used rice vinegar, you could use apple cider or white vinegar)
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp hot water)
For strawberry compote/filling:
1 cup strawberry puree (if you have left over more puree you can always add it in)
1/2 chopped starwberries
1/2 cup sugar (cane/brown)
corn starch slurry (1.5 tbsp corn starch + 3 tbsp cold water)
Frosting:
Of course you can make your own vegan frosting
I used Duncan Hines Whipped Fluffy White frosting (There are other types from the same brand which are also vegan)
I have tried Simple Mills (I found Duncan Hines to be better tasting)
Other brands like Pillsbury also have vegan frostings (I am yet to try those)
Plant based food color (optional)- I used pink
Decoration:
8 strawberries for strawberry roses as mentioned above
Sugar pearls (optional)
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Mix in the ingredients for flax egg and set it aside for about 10 minutes for it to thicken up.
Strawberry puree
Add about 1 lb (about half of 2 lbs pack) of strawberries to a food processor. Puree to your desired consistency.
Note: If you are using frozen instead of fresh strawberries keep in mind your puree will be more watery.
Cake:
Sieve in all the dry ingredients (except for the sugar) to a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and wet ingredients (including flax egg which by now should have thickened up). Now using hand or standing mixer, prepare your cake batter.
Now transfer this batter to greased cake pans. I used two, 7 inches cake pans.
Note: You could use 3 x 6" or 2 x 7" or 2 x 8" or 2 x 9". The time required to bake and thickness of the cakes may vary.
Bake the cakes for 15 minutes.
Note: Time for baking would vary based on your oven and size of the cake pan. It could vary from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. You could test it by inserting a toothpick into the cake. If it is baked completely, then no batter should stick to the toothpick.
Once you bring it out of the oven, transfer it to the wire rack for cooling.
Strawberry compote:
While the cake is baking, you can go ahead and prepare your compote. Add in all the ingredients for that to a pan and bring it to a boil on a stove top. Corn starch slurry helps it to get thicken. I personally don't like it to be too thick. Since it gets thicker when you cool it in the refrigerator.
TIP: You could make this ahead of time and refrigerate it. If you are planning to bake the cake on a busy day. One less step for you!
Also if you have extra compote left which does not get used for the cake, you could use it on toast or other desserts. It can easily replace your jam in PBJ sandwiches!
Strawberry roses:
Basically cut each strawberry spirally and open up each petal slightly which eventually turns up looking like a rose. I have included my amateur attempt in the video above.
TIP: You could make the roses ahead of time as well to save some time.
Assembling the cake:
Take one cake and start using it as the first layer. Spread the strawberry compote on that cake. Layer up the next cake on top. Spread the frosting evenly (you could use spatula or other decorating tools to do so). Arrange strawberry roses per your desired pattern. You could sprinkle some golden sugar pearls for aesthetic purpose!
ENJOY!!!