The vegan butter I chose to use is a coconut one which I've seen now in several stores, the same one I used for my moussaka cheese sauce. Nuttelex and Earth Balance also offers vegan alternatives but since it was a coconut cake, I thought the added coconut would be a nice touch, not to mention all the health benefits of coconut oil. If coconut sugar is not readily available, use rapadura or raw sugar instead. Don't be discouraged at many steps, it's actually quite easy and can be done over time, the longest wait is 1. the solidifying of the coconut cream and 2. for the cakes to cool before icing it so give yourself a few hours if you're making it for an occasion, or even the day before. The coconut cream takes around 4 - 5 hrs in the fridge; to set, so I always have a can in the fridge just in case.
This cake is a wonderful combination of soft coconut cream and moist light cake with a buttery caramel finish and not that sweet either. My brother in law ate half the cake in one day and my husband who rarely eats cake had 2 slices as well, so I think it went well!
Moist Vegan Coconut Caramel Cream Cake
Cake
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch)
1/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
Syrup
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup coconut sugar
Coconut Cream
1 can coconut cream
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup desiccated/flaked coconut
pinch of salt
Caramel Icing
1/2 cup vegan butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp coconut essence
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. If you haven't already, put a can of coconut cream in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 175˚C
2. In a mixing bowl whisk the dry ingredients together, flour, sugar, baking powders and salt. Make sure the butter is soft enough to mix
3. Add in the oil, butter, apple sauce, milk and extracts and mix until thoroughly combined. Leave the vinegar as the last step
4. Spray 2 round cake pans with oil. Add the vinegar to the cake bowl, mix again, then transfer evenly over the pans. Pat down gently to remove any air pockets
5. Put into the oven for 20 - 25 mins. When it gets to 20 mins check with a skewer as the cake cooks quickly towards the end and you don't want to cake to be dry, so if the skewer comes out completely clean it will probably be a bit overcooked as it cools down. Once the cake is done, take out and leave on a cooling rack before you apply the cream and the icing
Syrup
6. In a small saucepan combine the coconut water and sugar and bring to a boil for around 5 mins then set aside to cool. Speed up the process by putting the pan into some cold water
Coconut Cream
7. Take out the can of coconut cream, gently use a spoon and scoop out the top cream part into a mixing bowl. If you push down slightly and the cream softens it's probably not ready yet. In the fridge the cream will solidify to the top of the can and the watery part will be at the bottom. We need only the cream otherwise the mixture is too watery.
8. Whisk the cream, then slowly add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to whip for around 4 - 5 mins. I actually used my thermomix to do this and put it on the reverse blade
Caramel Icing
9. In a bowl whip the softened butter then beat in the sugar and scrap down the sides
10. Add in the other ingredients and keep beating fluffy. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 mins until it hardens up and is easier to spread. The butter will solidify in the fridge which makes it easier to ice, otherwise you'll end up with runny icing
Assemble
11. Once the cakes are in the oven, prepare the syrup, coconut cream and icing. You can always do these things beforehand as well
12. When the cakes and syrup are both cool, use a spoon and spread the syrup evenly over both cakes. Depending on how evenly the cake cooks, you may have the use a serrated knife and make sure the tops are completely flat. The syrup helps keep the cake moist so if they are a little overcooked it's completely fine - this is a great fail safe for dry cakes and also adds in extra flavour
13. Transfer the bottom layer to a plate, gently spread the coconut cream evenly over the top to the edges and add the second layer of cake over the top. Push down slightly to 'glue' the layers together. Scrap off any extra cream from the sides
14. Wait until the icing is not runny then use a spatula to ice the cake, it's should be a thin layer that will cover the top and the sides. As it's quite rich there's no need to pile it on, but if you love icing then double the recipe and you'll end up with lots of icing! You can always add any toppings you'd like, I stay away from coconut flakes as this can be overkill, but fruit or even chocolate flakes are a nice balance
15. Put in the fridge to set for an hour or so, then serve. You can also leave it overnight and it taste fantastic the next day! Because of the nature of the icing, it's best to keep the cake in the fridge and take it out 30 mins prior to serving