VEGAN CHAI CAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 100 ml Alpro soy milk or almond milk, Artcaffé Market
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 120ml of Bernard’s maple syrup or agave, Artcaffé Market
• 90g apple purée (unsweetened apple sauce)
• 60 ml Orolio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Artcaffé Market
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 220g plain flour
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Bart’s ground cinnamon, Artcaffé Market
• 1 tsp Bart’s ground cardamom, Artcaffé Market
• 1/2 tsp Bart’s ground ginger, Artcaffé Market
• 1/2 tsp Bart’s ground nutmeg, Artcaffé Market
• A pinch of salt
• Orange Cardamom Glaze (optional)
• 18g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp Bart’s ground cardamom, Artcaffé Market
• 4 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C.
2. Grease an 8-inch cake or loaf tin with oil, and then line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a jug or cup, stir, and allow to sit to form vegan buttermilk while you prepare the other ingredients.
4. Add the buttermilk, maple syrup, apple purée, olive oil, vanilla, and orange zest to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt, and whisk to combine. Make sure there are no lumps of sugar left in the mixture.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk them together. Try not to over-mix. It should be a dropping consistency: if you lift your spoon, it should drop off.
7. Add the batter to the cake tin and bake for 45-55 minutes. Start checking after 45 minutes by inserting a knife or toothpick into it, which should come out clean. If it does not, bake for another 5-10 minutes as needed. It should be an even golden-brown colour all over.
8. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
9. For the glaze, mix all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Once the cake has cooled, pour the icing on top and enjoy.