If you’ve been following you would have seen that I made a spectacular 3 layer Gluten-free chocolate cake for one of my best friends last month. Well what you didn’t know is that prior to that cake I had only made 1 small test cake that was this yummy Almond Vanilla Cake.
According to my friend (I’m not usually Gluten-free so I don’t usually order these options when out and about) it was the most moist and tasty gluten free vanilla cake that she had ever eaten. She could have been talking be up to make me feel good but who knows??? I liked it so hopefully it really was as good as she said.
Making my own almond flour
I was seriously nervous about this little adventure and did quite a bit of research before diving in. This gluten-free business is NOT CHEAP!!! Why the heck are the various flours so expensive? Or is it just in South Africa that we pay an arm and a leg for almond flour. I can’t afford that so I bought a Kilogram of Raw Almonds on special at our local Food Lovers Market and ground them up in my NutriBullet. (If you’ve been following you’ll know that I use my NutriBullet ALL THE TIME!!!) I saved a bomb and got a cute cake out of it.
There are finer almond flours available but I also saw one that looked just like my freshly ground almonds for sale in store so I’m pretty happy with the outcome.
Here’s the Recipe
WET INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 cup almond milk or rice or coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup oil or unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
3 1/4 cups almond flour
1 1/3 cup of blended gluten free flour
1 1/3 cup brown sugar (white sugar will give a lighter cake colour, I just had brown in the cupboard)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
VEGAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
300g Palm oil based Baking Margarine
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2-4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and lightly grease two standard 8-inch round cake pans, one 9x13-inch, or three 6-inch round pans.
In a liquid measuring cup, measure out almond milk and add lemon juice. Let set a few minutes. Then add oil and vanilla. Whisk/stir to combine.
Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended and there are no big lumps. The batter should be quite thick.
Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake on a center rack for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges and surface appear golden brown.
Let cool 15 minutes in the cake pans. To remove from pans, run a butter knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly turn over. Let cool completely before frosting.
ICING METHOD
Add softened margarine to a large mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Then add vanilla and mix once more. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until a thick, spreadable icing is formed. I found about 3 1/2 cups to be the appropriate amount per 1 full cake recipe.
If too thick, the icing will be too hard to spread (add 1/2 tsp almond milk at a time if too thick). If too thin, the icing will slide off the cake. If too thin, continue adding powdered sugar until you get the right texture.
Use immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before using the frosting.
CONSTRUCTION
I had baked the cake 2 days before the dinner and wrapped the freshly baked cake layers in Plastic wrap. This kept all the moisture in the cake and prevented them from drying out.
Frost generously with Vegan Buttercream Icing.
I also added a layer of strawberry jam between the layers of the cake which added a whole ‘nother level of moisture to the cake!
And decorated with fresh strawberries!
Store the cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze up to 1 month.
I’d love to learn more about the gluten and dairy free world of baking so feel free to send me you tips and tricks. It’s still makes me so nervous.
Also let me know if you try this?? I’d love to know if it works for you and what you think of the flavour.
