I can’t believe how hot it has gotten here over the past couple of days. It’s fine at night but the days are so unbearable that we have been forced to keep the blinds closed most of the time just to help keep it a little cooler inside. Even our dog has taken up permanent residence in our bathroom. Not only is the tile floor cooler for him but it is the one room that is permanently dark.
It does make going to the bathroom a little bit more interesting especially when he lays in the way of the door.
I blame my brother for the weather because he just moved back from Texas. I keep telling him that he definitely brought the heat back with him.
This heat did make it a bit more interesting coming up with a dessert recipe. I knew I needed something cool and refreshing, but I really didn’t want anything that would melt instantly like ice cream or a popsicle. I settled on a Cake because I have not made one in a long time and all of my family has been getting together a lot so I could afford to have a big ol’ cake in the house and not worry about eating it all by myself.
Most of the time when I make a cake I use Coconut cream as the base of my frosting. So I thought why not use that as the base for the entire cake and instead of masking the taste, highlight it.
I was a tiny bit worried because coconut seems to be one of those things that people either like or hate. Personally, I love it. Whether it’s straight from the coconut, shredded or even toasted, it is one of my absolute favorite add-ons.
But just to be on the safe side, I tried to balance out the sweetness of the coconut with a different kind of sweetness in the cake. And then due to my ever burning desire to add color to all of my dishes, I ended up adding some berries inside. This actually rounded off the cake with a nice sweet-tart taste that was just perfect on a hot day.
Now as I have said before, the rest of my family is not vegan, but they are willing to be my vegan guinea pigs. And are happy to be. Most of the time.
Since my brother just moved back, he has not had cooking in a long time, dessert-wise and just regular food. Bot he and his girlfriend were amazed that this recipe was vegan.
I felt like I was on a quiz show as she asked me how I made each thing without using any dairy or eggs. It’s always funny to me how people don’t believe this to be possible. He even told me that I should sell my baking because vegans always seem to be looking for sweet treats to buy.
I can confirm this.
I was actually really surprised. This is a big compliment coming from him since he has worked both at a wedding venue and a bakery himself and has had his fair share of professionally made goodies and cakes.
Because the humidity is so extreme here, I was very concerned about the structure of the cake as a whole. I knew I could only make so much frosting to help hold it together before the humidity softened it back up and caused everything to slide apart.
Which as we see by the leaning tower of Pisa, is funny to take photos with but does hold reason for concern.
I really was not excited to see my cake completely fall apart so we kept it in the freezer until the last minute before serving and it was perfect. The frosting didn’t get stiff. The cake wasn’t hard. It was just the perfect mixture of refreshing because of the actual flavors in the cake as well as the actual temperature of the cake.
That being said, you can store this cake in the fridge. Which happened with the leftovers. And the cake was perfectly fine. I simply did not have room for an entire cake and all of the ingredients for dinner at one time.
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup non-dairy butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup non-dairy butter
- 1 can (5.4 fl oz) coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
- 2 cups mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
- Shredded Coconut
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes a thicker consistency.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder and stir together lightly. Once the flaxseed/water combo is ready, add flaxseeds, milk, butter, and vanilla to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth consistency is reached.
- Pour batter into a 9-inch cake pan. Place into the oven and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes or until top begins to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool. Remove the cake from the pan and slice into 3 segments to create the layers of the cake.
- In another large bowl, combine 2 cups of powdered sugar and the rest of the frosting ingredients. Whip until the mixture begins to thicken up. Add in the remaining cup of powdered sugar and whip until a thick consistency is reached and peaks form when you lift the whisk out.
- Place the first slice of the cake onto the cake stand. Add an even layer of frosting, sprinkle a layer of shredded coconut over the frosting and then add a cup of the mixed berries on top, making sure it is even spread out. Add the next layer of cake and repeat the process.
- Place the top layer onto the cake and make sure all the sides line up. If not, trim the cake with a knife so it is even. Frost the top and sides evenly, so none of the cake shows through. Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top of the cake and pat it down on both the top and sides until the entire cake is covered in coconut.
- Set in the fridge and allow to cool for at least two hours before serving and enjoy~
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