Blender Apple Cake (Vegan)
Admittedly I've neglected exploring vegan baking for quite some time and feel a bit ashamed of my understanding when it comes to using plant based ingredients in recipes. In the past I was always taught that eggs and butter were essential for making baked treats and that any substitutes would not measure up to the real thing. My perspective shifted when my friend Toufic asked for a carrot cake, while he was fasting during Easter; I felt disappointed that I couldn't fulfill this request as cooking for friends is something I deeply value.
Philips recent book titled A NEW WAY TO BAKE RE-IMAGINED RECIPES FOR PLANT-BASED CAKES, BAKES AND DESSERTS is making waves for its approach to replacing animal based ingredients without compromising taste and texture nuances. In his book he takes readers through the art of achieving the texture, in baked goods by highlighting the key contributions of plant derived elements.
Ingredients
For the cake
300 g (2 cups) apples, cored (about 3 medium)
6 g (1½ tsp) ground cinnamon
180 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
80 g (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
90 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) plant-based milk
225 g (1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
8 g (2 tsp) baking powder
4 g (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 apple, thinly sliced, for topping
40 g (3 tbsp) Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
50 g (½ cup) oat crumble (optional, recipe below)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F/gas 4).
Line a 23 cm (9 in) cake tin or a 12-cup muffin tray with baking parchment or paper cases.
Prepare the apples: Wash, core, and quarter the apples — no need to peel.
Blend: In a blender or food processor, combine the apples, cinnamon, sugar, olive oil, and milk. Blend until smooth.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
Combine: Pour the apple mixture into the dry ingredients and mix gently with a spatula until just combined — no dry streaks.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared tin, top with sliced apple, and sprinkle with Demerara sugar and oat crumble.
For a cake, bake for 40 minutes.
For muffins, bake for 8–10 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool and serve: Let cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar. Keeps well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Oat Crumble (Optional)
Ingredients
80 g (⅓ cup) cold-pressed sunflower oil
60 g (¼ cup) plant-based milk
50 g (¼ cup) muscovado sugar
230 g (1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 g (1 tsp) baking powder
1 g (¼ tsp) fine salt
60 g (½ cup) rolled oats
Instructions
In a jug, mix the oil, milk, and sugar. Blend with a hand blender (or whisk) until smooth and emulsified — this forms your syrup.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats.
Pour in the syrup and mix with a silicone spatula until crumbly — no need to form a dough.
Spread on a baking sheet and bake as part of the cake recipe, or store for later use as a topping.
© Recipe from A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury, published with permission from Hardie Grant Books.
