This enticing cake, which comes straight out of Edd Kimber’s latest book, One Tin Bakes Easy (Kyle Books, 2021), demonstrates that vegan desserts can be amazing, and chances are you’ll be making this one over and over. As Edd says:
“Here is proof that brown food is best. This moist brown sugar sheet cake topped with a vanilla-rich buttercream and a super-simple butterscotch sauce is the sort of cake I want someone to make me for my birthday. The sauce is very easy to make, and provides more than you’ll need for this cake, so store it in the refrigerator for another occasion. It keeps well but becomes thick and opaque, so rewarm it gently to make it usable again.”
Serves 12–15
Ingredients
Butterscotch Sauce
- ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons (120 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 grams) vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) coconut cream
Cake
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 ml) vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 3 1/3 cups (420 grams) all-purpose) flour
- 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (345 grams) light brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 vegan eggs
- 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (350 ml) soya milk
- Cacao nibs, for sprinkling
Vanilla Buttercream
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) vegan butter
- Scant 3 cups (350 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- For the butterscotch sauce, place the sugar, vegan butter, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and heat until the butter has melted and everything is bubbling. Heat for another 2–3 minutes, then pour in the coconut cream and heat for a further 2 minutes, until reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency. Pour into a jug and set aside to cool; it should have a pourable caramel consistency. The sauce can be refrigerated until needed, but might need to be warmed gently to make it pourable again.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180ºC or Gas Mark 4) Lightly grease your 23 x 33-cm (9 x 13-inch) baking tin and line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides, securing it in place with metal clips.
- For the cake, put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the vegan eggs, oil and soya milk and whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before using the parchment paper to lift the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the buttercream, put the vegan butter into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the icing sugar a few spoonfuls at a time, beating well between each addition. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and salt and beat on a high speed for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the non-dairy milk and beat to combine.
To assemble the cake, spread it with the buttercream, then drizzle over some butterscotch sauce, gently swirling it into the buttercream. Sprinkle over the cacao nibs. If stored in a sealed container, this will keep for 2–3 days.
Recipe from One Tin Bakes Easy by Edd Kimber, Kyle Books
Photo by Edd Kimber
