A twist on the beloved bakewell tart. This vegan bakewell cake uses fresh cranberries and orange zest for a wintry update on the English tea time treat.
This vegan bakewell cake is extra moist and squidgy thanks to the fresh cranberries studded throughout. The natural oils present in the ground almonds add moisture to the cake, resulting in a light and squidgy sponge. Ground almonds also impart a lovely marzipan flavour making this a great option for a Christmas cake.
I find nothing brightens up a cake like fresh fruit. Cranberries are in abundance at this time of year. With my glut of berries, I’ve made a zesty red onion and cranberry relish to adorn my roast dinner. But I was also in need of satisfying my sweet tooth so in true festive style I’ve replaced the usual strawberry or raspberry jam in a bakewell cake with a cranberry filling. The bitterness is reduced when cranberries are cooked with plenty of caster sugar; although thankfully the pleasing tang is still there as an aftertaste.
The sponge is extra light and fluffy so care should be taken when handling the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing. I prefer to use a loose bottomed cake tin to make the removal process even easier.
Round off the cake with a dusting of icing sugar, toasted flaked almonds and little strips of orange zest for a festive take on the classic cake.
Leave a comment and let me know how you get on making this vegan bakewell cake. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
Vegan bakewell cake
Ingredients
- 175 g margarine cubed
- 175 g self raising flour sieved
- 150 g golden caster sugar
- 125 g ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 25 mls oat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 orange zested
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 200 g fresh cranberries rinsed and dried
- 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
To decorate
- 115 g icing sugar
- 1 orange juiced
- 1/2 orange zested to form large strips
- 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas 4.
- Lightly grease and line a 20cm loose bottom cake tin. Excluding the cranberries, add all the remaining ingredients to a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high for 30 seconds and the ingredients are just combined with no flour visible. Alternatively, a food processor can be used if you don’t have a stand mixer to hand.
- Pour half the mixture into the cake tin. Spread over the fresh cranberries and then pour over the remaining cake mixture. Smooth over with the back of a spoon and scatter over the toasted flaked almonds.
- Place the tin in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Place a skewer in the centre of the cake and check to see it comes away clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. This is a delicate and light sponge so please don’t be tempted to remove the cake before it’s cooled!
- In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and orange juice. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and drizzle the glaze over the cake in a zig zag design. Scatter over the orange zest and flaked almonds. Serve alongside vegan cream or vanilla ice cream.