While this cake may be free of eggs and dairy, it is not free of flavor and moisture. This cake is great for birthday cakes and for cupcakes. It also pairs well with a variety of different frostings and icings.
Chef's notes
For the best results, when slicing the cake, first place the finished cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes. Then using a long slicing knife, dip the knife into hot water, whip clean and then slice the cake. Doing this each time you make a cut will produce a cleaner, less crumbly piece of cake.
Steps
1
Curdling the Milk
Ingredients
2 cups non-dairy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)
To start, preheat oven the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds (if the pans are NOT non-stick spray also spray them with non-stick spray). Set aside.
To curdle milk, simply add the vinegar to the milk and set aside for 10 minutes.
Just before you are ready to mix the cake batter, add the vanilla to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
2
Gathering the Dry Ingredients
Ingredients
2 1/2 cup pastry flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
In a medium bowl, whisk, measure and sift together the dry ingredients.
3
Creaming the Butter & Sugar
Ingredients
1 cup non-dairy butter, room temperature (227 grs or 8 oz)
1 1/2 cup organic sugar, lightly ground
In a separate bowl, preferably the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together the non-dairy butter and sugar.
Cream the mixture until fluffy — starting on medium speed and increasing to medium-high. While a stand mixer works best here, a hand mixer, or even mixing by hand will also work, you might just not get quite as airy of a cake.
Note: We have made this cake using a few different brands of non-dairy butter and Earth Balance seems to perform the best in terms of consistency and overall fluffiness.
4
Mixing the Cake Batter
To mix the cake batter, alternate adding in a small portion of dry ingredients and non-dairy milk mixture — starting with the dry ingredients — into the creamed butter/sugar mixture. After each addition, beat until just combined. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
Once all of the dry and wet have been added, evenly divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans. Lightly tap the bottom to remove any air bubbles.
5
Baking the Cakes
Bake the cakes for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork inserted into the middle comes out clean. Ultimately, the time it will take for the cakes to fully cook through will depend on which cake pans you used, your oven etc.
Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Then run an offset spatula around the edge of the cake (use something that won't scratch your cake pans) and then flip the cakes over onto another cooling rack. Let cool completely before decorating or frosting.
If making the day before, tightly wrap and refrigerate the cakes and let them come to room temperature before serving or using.
Note: These cakes are thick enough to be sliced through the center, to make a 4 layer cake, if desired.
6
Frosting the Cake | Optional
Ingredients
Lemon Curd Recipe
Buttercream Frosting Recipe
This simple white cake lends itself well to a variety of icings and frostings. It can even be used as part of other desserts, such as baked Alaskas and trifles.
Here we have paired the cake with Buttercream Frosting and tart Lemon Curd topping for a nice contrast to the sweet cake.
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Hi Robert. Thank you for your question. The answer is yes. Pastry flour creates an incredibly light crumb due to its slightly lower protein content than wheat, AP flour or bread flour. White whole wheat is a pretty close match. I also love to use whole wheat pastry flour for baking. Enjoy. Lauren
Hi Winni. Thanks for trying this. Baking is an interesting craft that has so much nuance. I would love to know what you mean by 'hard' and to hear a little more to help troubleshoot. Email me at lauren@rouxbe.com if you want to work on this with more detail. Lauren
Hello!! I made this cake earlier in the week and it was delicious, but it was dense. The only thing I did different was used two 9 inch pans because I couldn't find 8 inch. I thought maybe my butter was too soft and it didn't cream and whip properly. I'm not sure though.
Hi Rita. I am glad that you enjoyed this. I live at a higher altitude and I usually add a little more baking powder to avoid an overly dense crumb. Getting a good cream out of the butter and sugar is important so maybe next time that will make a difference. Try making it again with 2 tsp of baking powder and see how it comes out. Lauren
Lauren L •Hi Robert. Thank you for your question. The answer is yes. Pastry flour creates an incredibly light crumb due to its slightly lower protein content than wheat, AP flour or bread flour. White whole wheat is a pretty close match. I also love to use whole wheat pastry flour for baking. Enjoy. Lauren
Winni M •Dawn Thomas, I tried the same recipe at my home. But my cake was not fluffy and soft. It was hard a bit.