Hands down, the best vegan, gluten-free cake I have made BY FAR! This is not an overstatement, I repeat, not an overstatement!
These mini orange cakes were ultimately an experiment. I did not expect them to turn out as delicious and moist as this. I wanted to make a vegan cake for my plant-based lovers out there, and I was researching ways in which I can substitute eggs in a cake. I mainly came across recipes that included coconut cream or flaxseed meal and water as an alternative for eggs. However, I did not think either of these ingredients would be ideal. I knew coconut cream would make my cakes moist; however, they do have the tendency to make baked goods heavy. Also, I know flaxseed meal and water can make cakes a little dry and floury.
Then it occurred to me… I remembered that chickpea water (aquafaba) is an ingredient that some bakers use as a substitute for eggs, particularly for cold desserts, such as mousses. I did a bit of research and you can use aquafaba as an egg alternative in baked goods. After reading this, I knew I had to try it.
I was a bit concerned using aquafaba because it did have a strong chickpea smell to it; therefore, I thought it was going to make my mini orange cakes have a slight chickpea flavour. To my luck, it didn’t. All I could taste was beautiful citrus orange flavour, complemented with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. This is one cake that you will want to eat and then eat again and again.
What really enhanced this dessert was the cream cheese frosting. It helped to break through the sweetness of the cake, and add a lovely creamy, moist texture. I would suggest adding a huge spoonful of frosting onto the cake – the amount that you see in my photo is nearly not enough. If you like, you can even add some orange zest or almond flakes for extra texture; however, I think the mini cakes are perfect the way they are. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
Furthermore, you can serve these mini cakes warm or cold – I prefer them warm, but they honestly taste great either way! However, keep in mind that if you serve them warm, you will melt the cream cheese frosting. Nevertheless, I really hope you guys love this one. Even if you are not a fan of zesty flavours, I would HIGHLY recommend at least just trying this recipe. You might be pleasantly surprised…
Mini Orange Tea Cakes
GF DF V
Serves 4 - 5
INGREDIENTS:
Cake
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup coconut nectar
- 1 cup aquafaba (water from 1 can of chickpeas)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- Juice from 1 orange
- Zest from 1 orange
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tbsp coconut nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees on fan bake.
Sift all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient, but leave the aquafaba aside. Place the aquafaba in a separate bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the aquafaba until it becomes white and foamy (it should look like raw meringue – when you beat egg whites and caster sugar together). Add the aquafaba to the cake mixture and gently fold them together until smooth and sticky. Grease the inside of small cake tins, including the walls and base. Pour the mixture 3/4 into the cake tins. Place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes. After the cakes have cooked, set them aside for 10-15 minutes to cool down.
For the cream cheese frosting, soak the cashews in water for 3 hours or boil them for 15 minutes until they become soft. Use a food blender to blitz the cashews until smooth. Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until completely combined. Put the cream cheese frosting in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until it has set. Once the cream cheese has set, spread it evenly over each cake.
Comments