This cake was made for a non-vegans birthday, to eat with a group of non-vegans, and they all loved it! In hardly any time you can rustle up a birthday cake fit for the cover of a food magazine!
It was my boyfriends birthday recently, and I was tasked with making the cake! Whilst he is a non-vegan, I (possibly selfishly) decided that the cake should be vegan! He originally requested a black forest gateau cake, however I struggled to achieve vegan whipped cream :/ If anyone has any tips on how to make vegan whipped cream that would be greatly appreciated, as my attempts at using aquafaba (chickpea brine) failed miserably :(
The use of beetroot in the cake was purely because I think that beetroot goes really well with chocolate, and the coffee really brings out the flavour in the cake!
Following this failed attempt at making a vegan whipped cream, I opted instead to just use a vanilla buttercream which still worked really well! So the original idea of a black forest gateau was modified a little, with the use of cherry jam and buttercream to give the cake the 'look' of a black forest gateau!
I'll admit that when it came to decorating the cake, I just went for it! I drizzled the cherry jam, plonked the glacé cherries on and sprinkled over freeze dried strawberries and chocolate sprinkles, and I still think it looks awesome!
I hope you all try this cake and if you do make sure you send me pictures on instagram or tag #susiechef!
Beetroot, Chocolate and Cherry Birthday Cake ~ Vegan~
Total time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Yield: One Three-Tier Cake that serves 8-10 people
Ingredients
Cake
- 180g Plain Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 120g Cocoa Powder
- 100ml Olive Oil
- 175g Demerara Sugar
- 300g Steamed Beetroot
- 245ml Dairy Free Milk
- 60ml Espresso Coffee
Buttercream Icing
- 120g Dairy Free Butter
- 375g Icing Sugar
- Splash of Dairy Free Milk
- A Few Drops of Vanilla Essence
To Decorate
- 30g Grated Dark Chocolate
- 300g Cherry Jam (+ a splash of water)
Cooking Directions
The Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease and line three, 7-inch round cake tins.
- Firstly, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl mix together the olive oil, sugar, coffee and soya milk.
- Pulse the beetroot in a food processor until it resembles a puree.
- Mix the liquids and the beetroot puree into the dry ingredients slowly, using a folding action until fully combined.
- Divide the cake mixture between the three cake tins and bake for 30-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the cakes comes out clean (although due to the beetroot in the cake the skewer might not be fully clean). Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.
The Buttercream Icing
- Beat the dairy free spread until soft, then gradually mix in the icing sugar until combined.
- Add a little soya milk to make a smooth icing, then stir through the vanilla essence.
Assembling the Cake
- Place one of the three cakes on a plate, spread a layer of buttercream icing on the top of the cake.
- On a second cake, spread cherry jam on the base of the cake, then place this cake on top of the first cake.
- Repeat this step on by spreading buttercream on the top of the second cake and cherry jam on the base of the third cake.
- Spread the remaining buttercream on the top of the third cake.
- With the remaining jam, put it in a microwave safe cup and add a splash of water, then microwave for 40 seconds, stirring well afterwards.
- Drizzle this mixture across the cake, allowing some to drip down the edge of the cake.
- Arrange the cherries on top of the cake, then sprinkle the grated chocolate across the cake. There really isn't a set way to decorate this cake, just use your artistic eye!
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