Berry Citrus Cake
A vegan cake that tastes just as delicious as it looks. This easy traybake recipe uses blackcurrant jam for a fruity punch and is topped off with a tangy lemon vegan buttercream.
From the book
Bake It Easy: One-pan Recipes That Prove Baking is a Piece of Cake
50 fuss-free one-tin bakes
Simple recipes you can make in a square, round or loaf tin
From classic comfort bakes to bold new flavours
Buy From
Introduction
Our bakery was given the challenge to make something for our wholesale customers that added a splash of colour to their counters. After weeks of testing various icings and using different brightly coloured fruits, this was the vibrant result. This is a recipe you can make using that old store cupboard staple and all-round favourite: jam. We found that the sharp acidity and herbaceous flavour of blackcurrant works best if you happen to have any, but feel free to try any other berry preserves.
Ingredients
| To make the cake: | |
|---|---|
| 240ml (8fl oz) | soya milk |
| 1 tsp | white wine vinegar |
| 65g (2¼oz) | soft light brown sugar |
| 65g (2¼oz) | caster (superfine) sugar |
| finely grated zest of lemon | |
| finely grated zest of 1 orange | |
| 65ml (2¼fl oz) | rapeseed (canola) oil |
| 60g (2¼oz) | dairy-free yogurt (we used plain soya yogurt) |
| 240g (8½oz) | self-raising flour |
| 1 tsp | baking powder |
| ½ tsp | bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) |
| 115g (4oz) | blackcurrant preserve (or a good-quality blackcurrant jam) |
| To make the buttercream: | |
| 75g (2½oz) | vegan butter (preferably vegan block butter, not spreadable) |
| 150g (5½oz) | icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted |
| 2 tsp | lemon juice |
| 1½ tbsp | blackcurrant preserve |
| edible flower petals, for sprinkling (if you can get hold of them); if not, a fresh berry on each slice will look good |
Essential kit
You will need: A square tin. 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in). This is usually 5cm (2in) deep and is sometimes referred to as a brownie tin. Easy to find and to use, this is one of the most popular baking tins in the world. We’d recommend getting two tins for ease of lining and baking, though you may find they don’t stack too well. We like the Tala Performance 20cm (8in) square tin – it’s made from carbon steel so gives an even bake every time.
Method
Preheat your oven to 170°C fan/340°F/Gas 5 and line a 20cm (8in) square tin (see note below).
To make the cake, pour the soya milk into a small mixing bowl and add the white wine vinegar. Stir well, then leave to thicken for a few minutes.
Next, put the sugars, lemon zest, orange zest, oil, yogurt and the milk-vinegar mixture in a large mixing bowl. Give everything a good stir, making sure there are no lumps of sugar remaining.
Sift the self-raising flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the wet ingredients and mix until the flour has absorbed the wet ingredients. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then give everything one last mix until you achieve a smooth batter, being careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into your prepared tin. Spoon small dollops of the blackcurrant preserve on top of the cake batter, then swirl it through the batter using a skewer to create a ‘marble’ effect.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and allow it to cool completely.
Whilst the cake is cooling, make the icing. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until soft. Add the icing sugar, lemon juice and blackcurrant preserve and beat until you have a smooth, colourful icing, scraping down the sides if necessary. If your icing is too runny, you can add a little more icing sugar. If it is too thick, you can loosen it with some more blackcurrant preserve.
Once the cake is cool, top with your prepared icing, spreading it evenly to the edges. Finish with a light dusting of edible flower petals for a bit of colour, if you have them, or berries.
A note on how to line the tin:
Snip method: This is simple and quick. Cut a square large enough to come up all sides of the tin, with a little excess. Make a diagonal cut from each corner in towards the centre of the paper, approximately the same length as the depth of the tin. Place the paper in the tin and allow the cut corners to overlap each other – it should nestle neatly in the tin with the edges rising up just above the lip.
Scrunch-up method: For runny batters or just for a quick fix, cut an oversized piece of parchment paper, run it under the tap in the sink, then shake off the excess water and scrunch it up into a ball. When you open it out again, it will be creased and a lot more malleable. Press it into your tin, getting into the corners and making sure there is enough excess coming over the top edges. You can then pour in your more liquid batters, safe in the knowledge you have a watertight tin.
No parchment method: If you’ve run out of parchment, or live in a paperless household, you can always go back to basics: butter up your tin and dust it liberally with flour or cocoa powder. This method is good for tins with a non-stick coating but it certainly isn’t foolproof, and the excess parchment can’t be used to lift your bakes from the tin.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Thank you for your rating. Our team will get back to any queries as soon as possible.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.
