This is my most successful vegan sponge cake yet, both taste and texture-wise. I would challenge anyone to tell that it was vegan in a blind tasting!
Cooking Instructions
- Make up the coffee and set to one side to cool.
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325F/Gas3.
- Cream the spread and sugar.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients (reserving 25g/1oz of the nuts) and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture between 2 greased and lined 7″ sandwich tins.
- Bake for 20-25 mins until the cakes are firm and spring back slightly if pressed gently in the centre.
- Turn out onto a wire rack and remove the greaseproof paper.
- Allow to cool before icing.
- Soften the spread in a bowl and stir in the icing sugar.
- Mix together, adding just enough of the coffee to make a thick, spreadable icing.
- Spread in the middle and on top of the cake.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining nuts.
Suitable for freezing.
*I made this cake as an experiment, to try out the tub of xanthan gum I had recently bought. Xanthan gum is a binder and emulsifier which is often used in gluten-free baking – it can be found in the baking or free-from section of most big supermarkets. I would recommend buying xanthan gum if you bake a lot of egg-free or vegan cakes.