Here’s a vegan Strawberry Cake that’s perfect to make this time of year when strawberries are at their most delicious, seasonal best. I love strawberries in desserts but I can take ’em or leave ’em when it comes to eating them fresh. It’s because strawberries, even ones that look ripe and lovely, can sometimes be tart, and I don’t love biting into tart fruit. In desserts, however, that tartness can be an asset. Think recipes like vegan strawberry pie, vegan strawberry rhubarb cheesecake and vegan strawberry bread. This vegan Strawberry Cake in incredibly easy to make. But there are some caveats to keep in mind and I’ll cover them below in greater detail. There are also no artificial colors or flavorings, as you might find in other strawberry cake recipes. All you need to flavor this cake and make it stunning are the berries themselves.
Why you will love this recipe
The tender, delicious strawberry cake is packed with the fresh flavors of strawberries and lemons–the flavors of Spring. This is a sweet cake but with a hint of tartness from the berries–an addictive combination. It is easy to make. The berries need no special treatment or cooking before going into the batter. All you need to do is chop them and stir them in. The fresh berries make the cake crumb very tender and moist.
How to make vegan strawberry cake
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and tapioca starch before using. This adds lots of lightness and airiness to the flour and therefore the cake. Beat the sugar, butter and lemon zest in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until incorporated, about two minutes. Toss the strawberries with the lemon juice first, and put them in a strainer over a bowl to let the juice drain out. Then add the juice to the batter. This might seem like an unnecessary step, but the reason I do this is that the lemon helps the strawberries keep their color when they bake. But because I add the strawberries only to part of the batter I don’t want all of the juice to go into just that portion of the batter, which would make the moisture in the batter uneven. Sorry if that’s confusing and hopefully it will be clearer in the instructions below. If you aren’t very keen on preserving the color of the strawberries in the cake you can certainly skip this step and just add the lemon juice directly to the batter along with the yogurt. Add the yogurt, lemon juice and nondairy milk to the flour and sugar mixture and beat it in. Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat in until just incorporated. The batter is really thick but that’s okay – the strawberries will express more moisture as they bake. Before you add the strawberries to the batter, spread about a fourth of the batter evenly into the bottom of a thoroughly oiled and floured bundt cake pan. This will keep the strawberries from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Now stir the strawberries into the rest of the batter and scoop it out into the bundt pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with some crumbs (not wet batter) sticking to it. Unmold the strawberry cake after 30 minutes by running a knife along the edges, then placing a plate over the opening of the bundt pan and flipping it quickly. If it doesn’t release tap the pan slightly. The cake is not hard to unmold but remember that bit about oiling and flouring the pan thoroughly? This is why we do it. If a few small bits of cake stick to the pan that’s fine. The beautiful glaze will hide any imperfections. Let the cake continue cooling on a rack. As the cake cools, make the glaze by placing the strawberries, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a food processor. You can just mash the berries with a fork and mix the glaze in a bowl but the reason I like to put it in the processor is that it creates a prettier, stronger pink for the glaze by breaking down the berries without pureeing them completely. Once the cake is cool pour the glaze over the cake. Serve as is or with more fresh strawberries.
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