Winter spices are my favourite and this cake has pretty much all of them, so rich! Plus, to make the cake I didn’t use granulated sugar, I used black treacle, a by-product of sugar cane’s refining process and is full of essential minerals and vitamins such as calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, iron and selenium. In fact, 100g of black treacle has 500mg of calcium, which is pretty impressive! The frosting is a nice complement for a sweeter taste and a thin layer of it will be just right.
Time: about 2h
Type: cake
Difficulty: 2 pans
Makes: a few yummy slices
What you need:
200g self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a sprinkle of ground cloves and nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
sprinkle of salt
270ml plant milk (soya or oat)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
70ml black treacle (molasses)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
For the frosting: 1 cup icing sugar + 50g vegetable spread + 50ml plant milk + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
gingerbread man to decorate (optional)
Utensils:
bowls
mixing spoons
measuring jugs
baking tin lined with parchment paper
electric whisk
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients;
To another bowl, mix plant milk and vinegar, stir and let it sit for a few minutes;
Add black treacle and vanilla essence to the plant milk and vinegar mix and stir;
Tip the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl, a little at a time and mix well until you have a smooth batter (but do not overmix);
Transfer to the lined baking tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 45 minutes (insert a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready);
While the cake is baking, prepare frosting: beat the sugar and vegetable spread with the electric whisk on low-medium speed until it comes together; Add in vanilla essence and cinnamon and a little of the plant milk and continue whisking (keep adding the rest of the plant milk as needed); whisk for at least 5 minutes so the cream becomes fluffy and light- transfer to the fridge until the cake is ready (should be completely cold before spreading the frosting);
After spreading the frosting you can sprinkle some extra ground cinnamon and ginger for good measure!
Plant Based Portuguese 