Lemon rasberry cake-gluten free and vegan

Yes folks, I think we have a winner!  This is an awesome vegan, gluten free cake, and I will be making it again next week and weekend for Paulo's 7th birthday.  Credit for this deliciousness goes to Allyson at Manifest Vegan!  Take a minute, click the link and see how gorgeous her cake turned out.  I aspire to such baking beauty, alas, I'm a work in progress.  The cake though, the cake is awesome!

For those that do not wish to click the link...your loss, her cake is stunning...here's the recipe:

Lemon Raspberry Celebration Cake
By Allyson
Published: March 14, 2011

This given recipe yields a double layer cake, rather than the triple one shown, but for you ambitious bakers out there, I’ve also included the breakdown for a third cake* at the bottom.

Lemon Raspberry Celebration Cake ~ Vegan & Gluten Free
makes two 9″ round cakes

Ingredients

•1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
•1 1 /2 cups potato starch
•1 cup tapioca flour
•1 cup brown rice flour
•2 tsp xanthan gum
•3 tsp baking powder
•1 1/2 tsp sea salt
•2 1/2 cups sugar
•2/3 cups olive oil
•1 cup very cold water
•1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
•1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
•zest of 1 lemon
•4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•2 cups fresh raspberries
•1 recipe vanilla bean buttercream (below)

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Line two 9″ cake pans with a parchment circle, and lightly grease and flour the sides of each pan.
3.In large mixing bowl, combine sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Sift together very well.
4.Add in sugar until well combined.
5.Stir in olive oil.
6.Gradually mix in almond milk and water until all liquid has been used.
7.Stir in lemon extract and zest.
8.Stir in vinegar, one tablespoon at a time, and mix on high speed, or mix vigorously by hand.
9.Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake cakes for about 30-35 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. The cakes will be ever so slightly golden brown.
10.Let cool and make buttercream icing. You’ll need lots of it for this.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Icing Ingredients
(Make two batches of this to cover a 3 layer cake)

•6 tbsp vegan margarine (cold)
•6 cups organic confectioner’s sugar
•1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or use 1 to 2 actual vanilla bean pods, scraped)
•6 tbsp almond milk
•2 additional tbsp vegan margarine (softened)

Icing Directions
1.Cream together the cold margarine and about 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar.
2.Gradually add in other ingredients, except the softened margarine.
3.Once all the other ingredients have been combined and are fairly smooth, add in softened margarine.
4.Mix on very high speed, whipping until fluffy.
5.Use immediately on cake, or chill in fridge for later use. If refrigerated, make sure you let it warm up slightly by setting on counter until softened enough to spread onto cake. If you find the icing too thick, add a touch more almond milk to thin.

Cake Assembly – - Requires 2 cups fresh raspberries

1.Once cakes have cooled, invert them once onto plate and then reposition them so that the top of the cake is facing up. Basically, you’re flipping both cakes out of the pans and just making sure the bottom is on the bottom and top is on the top.
2.Use a long serrated knife to slice the tops of the cake off so that both cake rounds appear very level. Use excess cake for crumbs… or just eat it!
3.Use a small portion of the icing to create a crumb layer on the each cake… meaning, apply the first layer of frosting without worrying about keeping those crumbs out of the icing; that’s what this step is for!
4.Chill briefly in freezer until the crumb coating has hardened.
5.Now, place one of the cakes onto a steady cake dish or icing plate.
6.Top liberally with frosting and arrange fresh raspberries on top of the frosting. Place second round cake on top of frosted cake and press gently to set the filling in between cakes.
7.Frost again with a second layer of frosting, and garnish with any fancy piping that you can dream up.
8.Garnish with fresh raspberries, lemon zest, and of course, chocolate decorations!


If you're really ambitious and want the triple layer here's the measurements for that:

 3/4 cups sorghum flour
• 3/4 cups potato starch
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cups olive oil
• 1/2 cup very cold water
• 1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

I was so happy with the way this cake turned out, it was moist, had great flavor and texture, I was thrilled.  I made it last Saturday because Paulo was invited to a birthday party on Sunday and I wanted to be sure he had a sweet treat to eat when all the other kids were eating the birthday cake.  I don't expect my sons' friends' parents to accommodate my child's dietary restrictions.  That's my job you know?  So I made the cake Saturday and set it in the fridge over night, I brought it out a few hours before the party and also before we'd be eating it at brunch and let it warm up a bit.  Loved it.  So good.  So very, very good. 

So, thank you Allyson for a fabulous recipe and for making my baby boy's birthday next week special!  Now, go click that link and marvel at the beauty that is Allyson's cake!