Vegan Vanilla Yogurt Cake

Making a great tasting moist vanilla cake without butter and eggs has never been easier.  The secret lies with using unsweetened cashew yogurt, and cake flour which has a lower protein content than all purpose flour and is lighter (finer), and softer than other flours. However, with the knowledge that white cake flour doesn’t have a lot of nutritional attributes, there are two ways to make this cake:

• Use only white cake flour for a lighter, higher rising cake; or
• Use a combination of white cake flour and whole grain spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a slightly denser but more nutritious cake.

In addition, using unsweetened plain cashew yogurt (I use Forager’s) gives this cake a moist, tangy flavor that is greatly enhanced with the added zest of a lemon.

Adapted from My Quiet Kitchen’s (www.myquietkitchen.com) recipe for a Vegan Yogurt Cake, this Vegan Vanilla Yogurt Cake is super easy to make and not too sweet. All you need to do is add a sprinkling of confectionary sugar over the top (once the cake is cooled) and serve. That’s it.

Vegan Vanilla Yogurt Cake

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 3/4 cup sprouted spelt flour ( I use One Degree Organic Sprouted Spelt Flour)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Forager’s Unsweetened Plain Cashew Yogurt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use Milkadamia)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• organic confectionary sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. Place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.

Blend the cake flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

In a separate small mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, oil, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, sugar and zest.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently blend by hand just until the dry ingredients are incorporated (don’t overmix).

Pour the batter into the cake pan and evenly distribute the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Invert the cake. Remove the piece of parchment paper, and invert again onto a cake plate.

Allow to cool and then sprinkle confectionary sugar over the top.

Serve.