Vegan Gluten Free Strawberry Cake
This Vegan Gluten-free Strawberry Cake is a classic turned into vegan and gluten-free. It can’t be moister and fluffier and it’s not at all overly sweet. Both the cake and the buttercream are made with fresh strawberries.
Equipment
- Three 6-inch round cake pans
- Immersion blender, stand blender or food processor
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Big mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Vegan Gluten Free Strawberry Cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (340 gr)
- 1 cup cane sugar (200 gr) (or granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅔ cup vegan butter (145 gr) , at room temperature
- ½ cup plant-based milk (100 ml) (almond, oat, soy or rice milk)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1¼ cups strawberry puree (2 cups fresh strawberries - 300 gr)
- ¼ teaspoon pink food coloring , optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Additional strawberries, for garnishing , optional
For the Vegan Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup vegan butter , at room temperature
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup strawberry puree (2 cups fresh strawberries - 225 gr weighed without the stems)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , optional
Instructions
For the Vegan Gluten Free Strawberry Cake:
- To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. I use round parchment paper to line the bottom of my pans. Lightly spray with cooking spray so that the cakes don’t stick.
- Puree the fresh strawberries, using an immersion blender, stand blender or a food processor. Set aside. I don’t normally strain the puree, but you may do it if the seeds bother you.
- In a small bowl, mix the vegan milk with the lemon juice to make the vegan buttermilk. Gently stir and let sit for two minutes. The milk curdles and reaches a buttermilk-like texture and taste.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter for 3-5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Sift in the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk gently for one minute to combine. The mixture will look crumbly.
- Add the buttermilk, strawberry puree and vanilla. Mix on high speed for 30 secons, until fully combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three lined pans.
- Bake at 350ºF/ 180ºC for 25-30 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in the centre of your cake, if it comes out clean the cakes are done.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before unmolding. Let cool completely before frosting. If you need to speed the cooling process, place the cakes in the refrigerator or freezer.
For the Vegan Strawberry Buttercream
- To make the Buttercream: While the cakes are in the oven, prepare the strawberry reduction. Puree the strawberries. Place the puree in a saucepan on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until it reduces by one third. Set aside to cool. You'll get ¼ cup of strawberry reduction.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and pale (3-5 minutes), using an electric or stand mixer.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after it.
- Add the vanilla and the strawberry reduction. Mix until everything is well combined and your buttercream is smooth.
For Frosting and Assembling the Cake
- You can frost the cakes as they are, although I like to level my cakes with a cake leveler. A serrated knife will do the job too. Leveling your cakes is a matter of minutes and it looks beautiful when you slice the cake to serve it.
- Once your cakes are cooled and levelled, line the edges of a cake plate with pieces of parchment paper that can be easily removed when the cake is finished.
- Start spreading the buttercream on each cake and stack them on the prepared plate. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from freezer and apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of frosting to seal the crumbs. Freeze for 30 minutes to help set the crumb coat.
- Remove from the freezer and frost the sides and top of the cake with a pallet knife or a spatula. Decorate with fresh strawberries. Enjoy!
Notes
DON’T OVERBEAT THE BATTER. As soon as there are no flour lumps, the cake is ready to bake.
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS. Cake layers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature overnight. Make sure they have completely cooled before wrapping them.
The Vegan Strawberry Buttercream can be prepared 1-2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent the frosting from drying out. It thickens when it cools down, you may need to bring it to room temperature before using it.
HOW TO FREEZE THE CAKE. Bake and completely cool the cakes, and double wrap individually in plastic wrap. Place the cakes in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
HOW TO THAW THE CAKE. Transfer the unfrosted cakes to the refrigerator and let defrost overnight.
DIFFERENT SIZED PANS. This recipe will also make a 2-layer 8-inch cake or a 2-layer 9-inch cake.
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Strawberries. Fresh strawberries are the best option for the strawberry puree. I haven’t tried with frozen. If you do, add an extra ¼ cup of flour to balance the extra juice.
Butter. I use unsalted vegan block butter.
Flour. Gluten-free all-purpose flour is what I use. You can substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour for all-purpose regular flour at a ratio of 1:1.
Vegetable milk: Almond milk, oat milk or soy milk are the best choices for baking.
Sugar. I either use cane sugar, brown sugar or granulated (white) sugar.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
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Nutrition
Calories: 511kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 3gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 481mgPotassium: 14mgFiber: 3gSugar: 62gVitamin A: 1439IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 1mg
Additional Info
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