Summer Strawberry Cake with Rhubarb, Lemon Curd & Almond Paste.

I swear it was only last weekend that myself and the eldest niece were looking at the teensy baby barbs out in the garden. Already at that stage astonished over how much they’d grown considering what a lack of summer weather the past weeks has involved. Now they have grown into a fullblown army of Rhubarb.

To restore order in the vegetable plot I plucked some of them yesterday to use in a cake. Here is what went down (like, quite literally, along with a strong cuppa pitch black coffee) ↓

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SPONGE CAKE AQUA FABA BASE

(Recipe courtesy Kakboken utan Ägg & Mjölk)

100 grams soft margarine
2½ dl sugar
1 dl aqua faba
1 dl corn starch
1½ dl plain yoghurt
3½ dl flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar

1. Set oven to 175°C. Prepare a dish (circa 20 cm diameter) with butter and bread crumbs/semolina. 2. With an electric mixer, whisk margarine, sugar, aqua faba and corn starch together until fluffy consistency. 3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar. 4. Place dry ingredients along with plain yoghurt into the aqua faba-butter mixture, folding it into a unison batter using a spatula. Be careful not to over work the mixture. 5. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Once a dipstick comes out clean from the middle, the cake is done. Leave to cool completely in its dish on oven rack.

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MARZIPAN AND CREAM “CHEESE”

almond paste
vegan cream cheese, like tofutti original

Use a couple of tablespoons each. Grate almond paste before combining with cream cheese.

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VEGAN LEMON CURD

(Recipe courtesy of MinimalistBaker)

1 can (~414 grams) coconut cream
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 dl lemon juice
2 tbsp arrowroot powder (I opted for corn starch)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Place lemon zest and coconut cream in a small saucepan. Combine lemon juice and corn starch separately until no lumps remain, then add to saucepan. Add maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time. Bring mixture to a low bubble (not boil!!) whisking often. Once mixture starts to thicken, keep on medium to low heat until a visible ribbon appears when pulling a spoon along the top. Adjust sweetness/acidity ratio by adding more maple syrup respectively lemon juice until appealing the likes of your taste buds.
Let set for 15 minutes, before transferring to a clean jar. Cover with plastic wrap (making sure the plastic touches the curd) or else a film may appear. Refridgerate for at least 5-6 hours.

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RHUBARB COMPOTE

400 grams rhubarb
½ dl sugar
½ dl water
1 vanilla pod
(1,5 tbsp potato starch + 2 tbsp water)

Rinse and stem rhubarb, then cut into inch long pieces. Add to small saucepan along with sugar, water and seeds from vanilla pod. Let simmer for 10 minutes until rhubarb has softened. If you want a thicker compote, add the potato starch mixture. Let cool in fridge before adding to cake.

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After assembling all, or some, of the pieces – cover with whipped dairy free cream and fresh strawberries. Voila!

What are your favourite cake fillings?

There is likely to be left over lemon curd, may I suggest you use it for:
→ Strawberry & White Chocolate Muffins with Lemon Curd.