The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [101]
6. In a small cup, mix baking soda and white vinegar. With a rubber spatula, gently fold mixture into batter, blending well, but be careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Pour batter into the prepared pan, or divide evenly among the cupcake tins, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake 8×2-inch round cake layer for 25 to 35 minutes. Bake 8×8-inch cake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake cupcakes for 20 to 30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
8. Cool square cake and cupcakes completely on wire racks before frosting or freezing. Cool round layer and cupcakes 10 minutes before loosening from the pans. Gently remove round layer and cupcakes from the pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Cool square cake in its pan.
9. Frost with your choice of frosting (try Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe in Chapter 21; or Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting, variation in Chapter 21), or double-wrap in plastic and freeze.
BAKER’S BONUS
You can double this recipe to make a 9×13-inch cake, 24 cupcakes, or a 9-inch double layer cake.
German Apple Cake
This old-fashioned “butter” brown sugar cake has chunks of apples baked on top of the batter that’s seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with cinnamon sugar and confectioners’ sugar.
Yield:
1 (8×8-inch) cake
Prep time:
20 to 30 minutes
Bake time:
35 to 45 minutes
Serving size:
1 piece
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2½ tsp. aluminum-free baking
powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ cup nonhydrogenated vegan
margarine, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly
packed
Egg substitute for 2 large eggs
¼ cup canola oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 medium Cortland, Granny Smith,
Empire, Gravenstein, or other
hard crisp apples, peeled, cored,
and quartered lengthwise
1 TB. unbleached cane sugar
2 TB. vegan confectioners’ sugar
(optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 1 (8×8-inch) baking pan with nonhydrogenated shortening, tapping out excess flour.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together unbleached all-purpose flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, aluminum-free baking powder, salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg, or blend with a wire whisk.
3. In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed, beat vegan margarine and light brown sugar for 1 or 2 minutes or until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Add egg substitute a little at a time, and beat for 1 or 2 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed using a rubber spatula. Add canola oil and vanilla extract, and beat again.
4. Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients, mixing for 1 minute, or only until cake batter is nice and smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Pour cake batter into the prepared pan, smoothing top if necessary.
6. With a sharp knife, slice vertically into quartered apples almost all the way through. Place apples on top of cake batter, leaving room between apples to fan out during baking. Press lightly into batter.
7. In a small bowl, mix unbleached cane sugar with remaining ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over top of cake.
8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before sprinkling with confectioners’ sugar (if using) or frosting with your choice of frosting (try Confectioners’ Sugar Drizzle, recipe in Chapter 22).
DOUGH-NOT
When slicing through the apples, be careful not to cut all the way through. The cake looks pretty when the apples fan out naturally during baking.
Maple Walnut Cake
Pure maple syrup and maple extract give this cake a delicious mellow