Spring Cake Inspiration
Lemon cake
1 ½ cup non-dairy milk 360ml
½ cup lemon juice 120ml
3 cups all-purpose flour 360g
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups sugar 300g
1 tsp salt
¾ cup neutral oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest
Blueberry filling
14 oz blueberries fresh (400g)
½ cup sugar or to taste (100g)
juice of 1 lemon
Lemon frosting
1 cup vegan butter softened (225g)
8 oz vegan cream cheese softened (225g)
2 cups powdered sugar 240g
2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Vegan Lemon Cake
Combine non-dairy milk with lemon juice and set aside for around 5 minutes to create vegan buttermilk.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch (20cm) pans with parchment paper, cut to fit as needed. (I don't recommend skipping this step or the cakes could stick to the pan.)
Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Then, add the sugar and salt and whisk to combine.
Stir the oil, vanilla, and lemon zest into the vegan buttermilk. Then pour it into the flour mixture and mix everything just until the ingredients are combined. (Don't overmix or your cakes will be dense).
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Don't overbake or your cakes will get dry.)
Let cool completely. (Optionally, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until well chilled because this makes them easier to cut evenly.)
Blueberry Filling
In a pot, combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat until the blueberries are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes, stirring constantly (if the blueberry filling is still too liquid, you can thicken it with a little cornstarch). Allow to cool. (It's best to refrigerate it overnight, so it can thicken up more).
Lemon Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, mix the vegan butter with a handheld mixer until creamy. Then add the vegan cream cheese and mix again. Lastly, sift in powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice and mix again until creamy and well combined. (If it’s too firm and not spreadable, stir in more lemon juice. If it is too soft, add more powdered sugar).
Assembling the Cake:
Cut each cake horizontally in two equal layers. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about ¼ of the lemon frosting over the cake so that it’s higher around the edges (to hold the blueberry filling inside). Then spread ⅓ of the blueberry filling inside.
Top with the next layer, another ¼ of the frosting, followed by another ⅓ of blueberry filling and repeat for the third layer. Place the fourth layer on top and spread the remaining lemon frosting over it.
Place a cake ring around and chill about 3-4 hours in the fridge before decorating and serving.
Enjoy!
Notes
For the best results, I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams and ml.
To make this cake gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. Instead of cream cheese, you can use coconut cream. Simply refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight. Then scoop out the solid part from the can which should have the same consistency as cream cheese (this is the coconut cream).
If you don’t want to make the blueberry filling, you can use store-bought blueberry compote or jam. Or just fold some blueberries tossed in a bit of flour into the batter. Also, other berries are fine.
You can store leftover cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze the un-frosted cake.
If you want to make cupcakes, bake for 20-25 minutes.
Please read the blog post above for further information.
Nutrition information is calculated for 1 serving of 16.
Cake Layers
1+ 3/4 cups almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
3/4 cup Swerve Confectioner Sweetener (No substitutes)
2 teaspoons baking powder (Hain brand is grain-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons gelatin
zest of 3 lemons
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 1.5 tbsp half and half (or full fat coconut milk)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberry Compote (Optional)
11 oz fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons water
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp Swerve Confectioner
1 teaspoon gelatin
Cream Cheese Frosting (Dairy-Free Option)
1 stick softened butter
1 eight oz package softened cream cheese (Kite Hill for dairy-free)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon half and half or coconut milk
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 + 1/3 cups Swerve Confectioner
1/4 teaspoon salt
blueberries and mint for decor (optional)
Get Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease cake pans and cut out a circle of parchment paper to line each pan– do not skip this step.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, Swerve, baking powder, baking soda and gelatin until very evenly combined. Add lemon zest and whisk again.
Add eggs, milk, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, lemon extract and vanilla extract. Whisk rapidly until batter is smooth. Use batter immediately.
For a 2 Layer cake- again, make sure to line the bottoms of two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. Pour batter evenly in to both pans. Smooth the surface of the batter with a wet spatula. Use the same method for 3 layer, but use these thin pans and divide batter 3 ways-each layer will be thin.
Place layers into oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes. Carefully rotate the pans 180 degrees and lightly cover with foil at the halfway mark. At 20-24 minutes the layers will be ready to come out, they’ll still be a touch soft and golden brown at the edges. (The thin 3 layer pans only need 18 minutes cooking time).
Let your layers cool COMPLETELY on the counter and once they are cool, run a knife around the edges and carefully flip them over onto a cooling rack or plates and let them rest for another 5-10 minutes before frosting. While you’re waiting for your cake layers to cool, go ahead and blend together your frosting. (*Tip–For an easy frosting experience, you can first freeze the layers. Then frost and stack each layer, finally frosting the top and sides.)
Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe with Berries & Mascarpone
Ingredients
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
2 cup all purpose flour
5 eggs organic pasture raised
1.25 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Zest from 1 lemon
A pinch of sea salt
1 lb blackberries
1/4 cup edible flower blossoms
Blueberry Sauce
1/2 lb blueberries
1/2 lemon juiced
2-3 tbsp wild honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mascarpone Cream
4 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
4 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 lb mascarpone cheese
1.5 cup whipped cream ( Stiff )
zest from 1 lemon
Lemon curd
1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
Zest from 1 lemon
5 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp butter cut into 5 pieces.
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Sauce:
Start by adding the blueberries with the lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the blueberries burst. Remove from flame and adjust sweetness to your taste with more honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Lemon Curd:
To make the lemon curd, prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Bring to gentle simmer.
Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the top pan. Whisk together over the steam until combined well. Keep whisking for a few minutes until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 to 10 minutes or so. Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter until melted. Transfer the curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled completely. It should be very thick at this point.
Preheat your oven to 325"F.
Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet.
Make the Olive Oil Cake:
In the bowl of a mixer add the eggs, lemon zest and sugar and using the whisk attachment beat them together until well combined. A few minutes.
Pour in the olive oil and continue whisking on medium low speed until all incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and sea salt and whisk till combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.
Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.
Bake the olive oil cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the Mascarpone Cheese Filling:
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer with a whisk attachment to cream the sugars and egg yolks until fluffy and pale in color.
Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated.
Using a spatula fold the whipped cream (must be stiff) into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combined. Make sure to not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It should not be runny, it should be thick and creamy.
Assemble the Cake:
Once cooled off, remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.
Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.
Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.
Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.
Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the olive oil cake. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling on top, or as much as you feel comfortable working with. If it seems like too much for you, simply save some for later use. Then top it with half of the blueberries from the blueberry sauce and some of the fresh blackberries. Reserve as much of the liquid from the blueberry sauce as possible for the next layer.
Add the next olive oil cake layer and spoon all the remaining blueberries with the sauce on top. Add the remaining whipped mascarpone (or however much you feel comfortable working with) and with the back of a spoon or spatula rustically spread it over the top. Place the fresh blackberries all over the top, reserving some to decorate the sides of your olive oil cake.
Garnish your lemon olive oil cake with edible flower blossoms and enjoy chilled.
Notes
Make sure the whipped cream is Stiff not runny.
If whipping your own cream, start with 1 cup of organic heavy whipping cream + 1 tbsp sugar. Whip with the whisk attachment until stiff, it should yield just about 2 cups of whipped cream.
https://ciaoflorentina.com/lemon-olive-oil-cake-recipe-berries-mascarpone-lemon-curd/
Candied Orange Slices
Ingredients
ice water
8 cups (1920 ml) water, divided
4 small oranges, such as tangelos
4 cups (800 g) granulated sugar, plus more for coating (swerve)
Instructions
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside.
Add 4 cups (960 ml) of the regular water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the orange slices. Boil for 2 minutes. Transfer the orange slices to the bowl of ice water and discard the boiled orange water.
In the same saucepan, add the remaining 4 cups (960 ml) of water and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Turn the heat to medium-low and add the orange slices. Simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the rinds are slightly translucent. Gently swirl the oranges every 15 minutes to make sure they are evenly coated with the sugar water.
Transfer the slices to a cooling rack set over a large baking sheet. Let them sit for up to 24 hours or until dry.
Dip the candied orange slices in granulated sugar, if desired. Use immediately or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
alternate
3 Mandarin Oranges *see notes, sliced into thin rounds not over 1/8-inch thin. Discard seeds and end cuts.
Large bowl of ice water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Extra sugar optional
Instructions
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add orange slices.
Boil 1 minute then place in the bowl of ice water until cooled. Drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, bring 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons orange juice just to a boil, and heat until sugar dissolves (stir occasionally).
Turn heat to medium-low and place orange slices in the sugar-water in a single layer.
Simmer (do not boil) the orange slices 45-60 minutes or until rinds are slightly translucent, turning every 15 minutes.
Place orange slices on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely, (1 hour or overnight).
If desired, sprinkle extra sugar over candied orange slices if you prefer the slices less sticky.
Use immediately or keep orange slices refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.
The orange slices can be kept up to 1 month and used as a garnish for many desserts.
Reserve orange syrup, in the fridge, for another use being sure to discard after 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
