Strawberry Sponge Cake
This Strawberry Sponge Cake is so good in summer as it utilises fresh strawberries. It's also vegan and sugar-free!
Every summer I love going strawberry picking. It’s nice to get out in the sun and wander around the strawberry patches finding all the best ones and of course sampling them too! This summer’s haul was particularly good.
My hubby and I went to a different orchard (Zaberri) than past years so I’m not sure if that’s why or maybe we just went earlier in the season. Regardless, there were so many good, bright red strawberries! Super sweet and juicy.
I’m not sure about you but when I go strawberry picking I find it pretty easy to get carried away, and then I get home and realise it’s not possible to eat them all before they go bad. Unless I freeze them of course. But they were so good fresh that’s how I wanted to use them. So I decided to bake with them. It was near impossible to find a strawberry based vegan, sugar free dessert, so I got creative.
Here is my vegan, sugar free vanilla sponge cake with strawberry compote and coconut whipped cream. The perfect summery dessert. The compote can be made a day or so advance if you’re short on time and you can pretty much add anything to it (vanilla, spices, basil or rosemary) or just make it how I did.
The whipped coconut cream was a bit of a struggle and I’ve tried it in the past and failed. With some trial and error I found it absolutely 100% needs to go in the fridge for at least a day before you plan on using it. Unfortunately that means this is not a spontaneous, last minute cake. It will (hopefully) get all nice and thick and creamy on the top of the can. Then you just spoon that part out and whip away.
I have used Natvia powdered sweetener for the cake in this recipe, and Sugro Max liquid concentrate sweetener for the compote as they were the easiest to come by in my local supermarket. All sweeteners seem to work differently so feel free to try a different one if you like but I can’t vouch for other brands or types as they are untested in this recipe. For the egg substitute I used Organ No Egg Egg Replacer. I would normally be trying to get you all to use my Flaxseed Egg Replacer recipe, however I have to say the Organ No Egg Egg Replacer actually works a lot better. I did try these cakes with my Flaxseed Egg Replacer recipe but they came it out a bit too dense and tough. They also were not white like a normal vanilla sponge, due the brown of the flaxseed. That part is just cosmetic, but sometimes, especially if you're trying to trick non-vegans, it's preferable to have a white sponge cake.
My hubby and I went to a different orchard (Zaberri) than past years so I’m not sure if that’s why or maybe we just went earlier in the season. Regardless, there were so many good, bright red strawberries! Super sweet and juicy.
I’m not sure about you but when I go strawberry picking I find it pretty easy to get carried away, and then I get home and realise it’s not possible to eat them all before they go bad. Unless I freeze them of course. But they were so good fresh that’s how I wanted to use them. So I decided to bake with them. It was near impossible to find a strawberry based vegan, sugar free dessert, so I got creative.
Here is my vegan, sugar free vanilla sponge cake with strawberry compote and coconut whipped cream. The perfect summery dessert. The compote can be made a day or so advance if you’re short on time and you can pretty much add anything to it (vanilla, spices, basil or rosemary) or just make it how I did.
The whipped coconut cream was a bit of a struggle and I’ve tried it in the past and failed. With some trial and error I found it absolutely 100% needs to go in the fridge for at least a day before you plan on using it. Unfortunately that means this is not a spontaneous, last minute cake. It will (hopefully) get all nice and thick and creamy on the top of the can. Then you just spoon that part out and whip away.
I have used Natvia powdered sweetener for the cake in this recipe, and Sugro Max liquid concentrate sweetener for the compote as they were the easiest to come by in my local supermarket. All sweeteners seem to work differently so feel free to try a different one if you like but I can’t vouch for other brands or types as they are untested in this recipe. For the egg substitute I used Organ No Egg Egg Replacer. I would normally be trying to get you all to use my Flaxseed Egg Replacer recipe, however I have to say the Organ No Egg Egg Replacer actually works a lot better. I did try these cakes with my Flaxseed Egg Replacer recipe but they came it out a bit too dense and tough. They also were not white like a normal vanilla sponge, due the brown of the flaxseed. That part is just cosmetic, but sometimes, especially if you're trying to trick non-vegans, it's preferable to have a white sponge cake.
Servings:
12
yield(s)
Prep Time:
35
mins
Cook Time:
45
mins
Total Time:
80
mins
Ingredients
- 200 g Dairy free margarine
- 3/4 cup Sweetener (I used Natvia)
- equivalent 3 eggs - vegan replacement (I used Organ No Egg Replacer, Flax Seed egg replacer would also work)
- 1 & 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 400 g Self raising flour
- 1 cup Plant milk (I used soy, but most other plant milks would work too)
- 1 cup Fresh Strawberries
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon or orange
- 1/2 tsp Liquid sweetener (I used Sugro Max concentrate)
- 1 Can cup Coconut Cream (This needs to be refrigerated overnight at least before using)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Sweetener
- 3/4 cup Fresh strawberries, halved and tops removed
Sponge
Strawberry Compote
Topping
Instructions
- If you haven't already put the can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight, or longer if you can.
- Preheat oven to 180℃
- Measure margarine and powdered sweetener into mixing bowl and cream using electric beaters until thick and pale, approximately 4 minutes
- Add vanilla and egg replacer and beat until well combined
- Add flour and stir to combine
- Gradually add the milk, mixing as you go until all the milk has been added and combined
- Grease 2x 20cm cake tins with more dairy free margarine and split batter between both tins
- Bake cakes in middle of oven for approx 30mins or until starting to brown and skewer comes out clean
- Leave to cool in tins for 15mins before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely
- To make the compote halve the strawberries and remove green tops and put into a small pot or saucepan with lemon juice and liquid sweetener
- Turn heat to medium low and stir occasionally until strawberries are broken down and it is a jam like consistency
- Put one of the cakes on a plate or cake board and spread the compote on top
- Put second cake on top
- To make the coconut cream take the can out of the fridge and spoon out only the top thick layer into a mixing bowl. (For me this was about half the can). You don't want any water as the cream won't whip properly
- Add vanilla and liquid sweetener and whip with electric beaters until thick (note this will likely take a bit longer than normal cream)
- Spoon cream on top of cake and top with chopped fresh strawberries
Recipe Notes
This cake keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, but any longer and it starts to dry out.