When you make this cake the whole kitchen smells of roses, it’s Persian in its origins and have been making Yasmin Khans amazing Persian Love Cake for years as it’s fantastic as a birthday cake, but I wanted to do a dairy free version that also could be gluten free if you prefer. I also added ground pistachios as I love them so its got tons of nuts in it and the soft floral fragrance of cardamom and rose. It’s probably called Love Cake because it really is a romantic cake.
It’s challenging converting a tasty recipe to vegan as the flavours and textures can be very different from the original recipes. I always think vegan recipes need to be more fun, so I am trying to come up with fun recipes on this blog that are not only vegan but look and taste as good if not better than the original. I’m trying these cookies out on three foodie friends in a minute who love dairy, and they don’t hold back in telling me what they think about my new recipes.
Ok, I’m back…they loved them and they thought they were very pretty and tasted delicious and wanted the recipe before I publish it. We all decided they would be very nice with vegan vanilla ice cream, I love Swedish Glace and fresh strawberries or they would be perfect for making an ice cream sandwich with…or simply with just a slice of strawberry on top.
I made a 100 of these cakes for a wedding last summer and they looked stunning and tasted amazing. It took me a few hours and they are really easy and can be made in advance and frozen. Wedding cakes can cost hundreds of pounds while these cakes will only cost you a fraction of that. You can choose which cupcake cases, what colour icing, and what decoration you want, this is just a guide. If you are dairy free or pushed for time I recommend the delicious Betty Crocker vanilla frosting (it’s vegan too) available in supermarkets. Everyone loves a vanilla cupcake.
This recipe makes approx. 12 cupcakes and you can increase the amount in multiples of 12.
Ingredients:
142g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg or if you are vegan substitute the eggs with egg replacer for 1 and half eggs( available in health stores and online)
150g golden caster sugar
1/2 cup of mild olive oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract
75 g sour cream or a plant based version like Oatly crème fraîche
Cupcake pan for baking and cupcake cases
Icing
75g butter (at room temperature)
175g cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
450g (approx.) of icing sugar
Decoration of choice, I used gold dragees which are available in supermarkets
Cupcake cases of choice, can be gold or white(I used dark brown)
Wilton 6B French piping nozzle and piping bags
if vegan or dairy free, I use Dr Oetka vanilla frosting as I can’t make a better version and I’ve tried lots of recipes and they never taste as good.
Really delicious coconut cakes that taste fab even though they are dairy free. Ralph thinks they are incredibly delicious, and he knows his cake.
Makes 12.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 medium eggs or egg replacer (instructions on box)
2/3 cup of soya milk (I use Bonsoy) or coconut milk
1 cup of caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour or self-raising gluten free flour
Pinch of salt
Cupcake cases
Icing
1/3 cup desiccated coconut toasted
2 tablespoons lemon juice mixed with 2 tablespoons of water (it might need more)
2 – 3 cups of icing sugar (it depends on the weather)
Coconut chips toasted (optional)
