The Best Vegan Summer Cake (ve, gf, refined-sugar free)

Strawberries and cream are such a classic British Summer combination. They work beautifully with this lemon sponge making it the perfect end to a Sunday dinner.
This recipe is also simple enough that can be slightly changed to your taste or seasons; you can use orange peel and juice instead of lemon or top the cake with sliced peaches and elderflower for example.

• Ingredients

  • 200g strawberries

  • 2tbsp maple syrup

  • 1/2tbsp small mint leaves

  • 50g melted coconut oil

  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

  • 150ml coconut (or almond) mylk at room temperature or slightly warm

  • 1tsp vanilla extract

  • 150g coconut sugar

  • 150g buckwheat flour

  • 70g brown rice flour

  • 80g ground almonds

  • 1tsp baking powder

  • 3/4tsp baking soda

  • 250g vanilla coconut yogurt (I used The Coconut Collaborative)

• Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 150ºC (fan). Line or grease a 20cm cake tin with a removable base.

  2. Cut the strawberries into quarters and mix together with the maple syrup and mint leaves. Set aside.

  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, mylk, lemon juice and zest and vanilla extract. It’s important that everything is at room temperature or warm so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify in the mixture.

  4. In a second bowl, mix all dry ingredients well so there are no lumps. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

  5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when piercing the centre.

  6. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely.

  7. When you’re ready to serve, cover with the coconut yogurt and top with the strawberries.

Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your recreations.