Categories: Drafts

Strawberry Lavender Birthday Cake, Vegan & Reduced Sugar

Happy birthday (to me!)

The launch of The Earthly Kitchen happens to coincide with the imminent approach of my 5th 29th birthday. Yay! What better way than to celebrate with a gorgeous, seasonal cake?

This vegan Strawberry Lavender Birthday Cake with honey lavender ricotta frosting is inspired by some of the delicious birthday cakes my mother and step-mom made for me as a child (no shortage of baked goods where I’m from!)

My mother always baked a sponge cake decorated simply with powdered sugar, served with frozen raspberry puree poured on each slice. My step-mom opted to bake the berries in the cake; pureeing strawberries and adding them to the batter creating a beautiful pink sponge with cream cheese frosting between its layers.

As a June baby, fresh local berries are an obvious choice, so I will keep the berry birthday cake tradition alive. This cake sandwiches roasted strawberry jam between two layers of perfectly moist and fluffy vegan lavender fragranced sponge, decorated with whipped honey lemon lavender ricotta frosting.

This jam is amazing on toast, on top of ice cream, or mixed in your favorite non-dairy yogurt. If you omit the confectioner’s sugar, this ricotta frosting makes an incredible savory dip or spread! It goes great with pasta, too. Keep the frosting vegan by substituting agave, cane sugar or maple syrup for the honey.

Strawberry Lavender Cake with Lemon Lavender Ricotta Frosting, Plant Based or Vegan

A delicious, summery cake celebrating fresh, roasted strawberries, lavender and lemon, all vegan or plant based.

For the Cake

1 2/3 cup almond milk (or other plant based milk, unsweetened, plain)
1 1/2 tsp vinegar (preferably apple cider)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or omit and use 3 cups AP flour*)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup cane sugar (or sub coconut sugar*)
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup strawberry lavender puree

Strawberry Lavender Puree

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
2/3 tsp ground lavender buds*

For the Whipped Lemon Lavender Ricotta Frosting ("Naked" style; double for full coverage or if splitting layers into 4)

15 oz can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tbsp confectioner's sugar (to taste or omit; adds structure to the frosting)
1 1/2 tsp honey (or sub a vegan sweetener such as agave)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp lavender powder
zest (from one lemon)
8 oz vegan ricotta (store bought or <a href="vegan ricotta">homemade</a>)

<a href="https://earthlykitchen.com/roasted-strawberry-jam-lower-sugar/">Roasted Strawberry Jam</a>

Bake The Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add vinegar to almond milk and let stand 5 min.
Add 2/3 tsp lavender buds to blender and blend on high until a powder forms. Remove 1/8 tsp lavender powder and reserve for frosting.
Add strawberries and lemon to blender cup with lavender and puree until smooth. Strain if desired. Measure 1 cup and set aside.
Combine and sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Then add sugar to the bowl.
Add apple sauce, vanilla, almond milk and vinegar mixture and mix on medium just until combined.
Add strawberry puree and stir by hand just enough to swirl in for a marbled effect, or fully fold in for a uniform color.
Add to 2-8" pans and bake for 35-45 minutes. You can tell when cake is done when the edges start to curve away from the pan and a cake tester comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool completely. Prepare the frosting.

Whipped Lemon Lavender Ricotta Frosting

Refrigerate coconut milk upside down over night to solidify the fat.
Open the top of the can of coconut milk carefully and scoop out the solid into your mixing bowl. Reserve the liquid. Add about a tsp of liquid and whip on high 1-2 minutes until coconut cream holds stiff peaks, like whipped cream.
Add confectioner's sugar if using, honey, vanilla, splash lemon juice, lavender (reserved from strawberry puree), and lemon zest. Whip on high just until uniformly combined.
Add vegan ricotta and mix only until just combined. It is very important not to over mix the ricotta or it will turn into a paste.

To Assemble the Cake

Once the cake has cooled, place one layer on cake stand and spread 1/3 of the frosting on top. Add a generous layer of roasted strawberry jam.
Add second layer and cover with remaining frosting, scraping the sides close with the flat edge of an offset spatula for a "naked" effect. Use more frosting if desired. Decorate with fresh berries, lemon zest and lavender.

*You can sub another type of flour (maintaining half AP) and/or coconut sugar, but if the intent is to keeping the sponge a traditional white base for a bright pink finish from the strawberries, you’ll need to use white flour and granulated sugar.

**Use edible lavender buds (I use Anthony’s brand.) Using an extract or essence will give it a soapy flavor. It is important to grind the lavender into a powder using a spice grinder or blender, as the buds have a very intense flavor.

***This recipe has not been tested using GF flour alternatives, so the results are not guaranteed. If you make it GF, let us know!

Rachael Workman