Vegan.Vanilla cakes with a cherry jam core, almond buttercream, decorated with fondant details and edible gold.This cake is perfect for cat lovers, or any birthday requiring a very delicious yet cute cake!Preparation- 1 hourBaking time- 28-30 minutesServes- Approximately 10-12Level- Medium…Ingredients for the cake-480ml of dairy-free milk -2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar-420g of self-raising flour-470g of golden caster sugar-1 teaspoon of baking powder-1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda-120g of coconut oil (melted)Ingredients for the core-4 tablespoons of cherry jamIngredients for the buttercream -250 of dairy-free butter-600g of icing sugar-2 teaspoons of almond extract-Dairy-free milk (if needed)Extras-Black fondant-Grey food gel-Pink food gel-Edible gold paint…To make the cakesStep 1- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c and line three 6 inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.Step 2- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.Step 3- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.Step 4- Add the melted coconut oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine. Step 5- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.Step 6- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins.Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.Step 7- Pop the cakes into the center of the preheated oven and bake for around 28-30 minutes. You will know they are baked when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.Step 8- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.To make the buttercreamStep 1- In a bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in the icing sugar and almond extract.Whip together until combined, light and fluffy.Add a splash of dairy-free milk if too thick.Step 2- Take 5 tablespoons of the white buttercream, place it into a separate bowl, and colour it greyThis will be for the lower half of the cake.Step 3- Stack and fill the cakes with the white buttercream.Add 2 tablespoons of cherry jam to the center of each layer (optional).Step 4- Crumb coat the whole cake with the white buttercream and pop into the fridge to set. This will take around 1 hour.Step 5- Add a thick layer of white buttercream all over the cake and using a smooth or textured cake scraper or large spatula, smooth out the buttercream.Pop the cake ito the freezer to set this layer of buttercream.Step 6- Once the buttercream is firm, add a thick layer of the grey buttercream to the lower half of the cake.Step 6- Paint the edges of the grey buttercream with edible gold (optional).Step 7- Place the remaining white buttercream into piping bags fitted with different top nozzles, and pipe swirls and rosettes on top fo the cake, including the ears.(I use a Wilton 2D, 1M and Patissare tip nozzles)Step 8- Roll out 4 thin whiskers, a nose, 2 eyes and mouth of black fondant and attach to the cake with buttercream.To decorate, I added on more gold paint details (this is optional).Serve fresh or store in a sealed container in the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature. Best eaten within a few days!…Make sure you follow me on my social mediaMy Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/thelittleblogofvegan/Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/littleblogofvegan/Twitter- https://twitter.com/BlogofVeganI would love to see your take on my recipes. Tag me on social media using the hashtag #Blogofvegan #thelittleblogofvegan All of my social media links are in the side bar…come and say hi!Share and follow me for more yummy posts to come!
