Vegan Vintage Heart Cake ♥
If you have a special date approaching, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, a birthday party, an anniversary, or you simply want to make a super trendy vegan cake, you will love this Vintage Heart Vegan Cake.
The sponge is so fluffy and moist to the point where it melts in your mouth, and combined with the mixed berry jam and a vanilla frosting, it’s so delicious! Super classic and yummy flavors!
Reverse Creaming Method
For the preparation of this Vegan Vintage Heart Cake we are going to apply a method called “Reverse Creaming”. The difference between this method and the most common ones (where the dry and wet ingredients are mixed separately, and then they integrate), is that here we are going to mix the dry ingredients -including the sugar- together with the fats, before integrating them with the rest of the wet ingredients.
And you probably wonder why. Well, by mixing the dry ingredients with the fats, the gluten from the flour is protected by some sort of barrier provided by the fats. That is, the gluten doesn’t start developing until it comes into contact with the liquids in the baking process. This means that our cake will be fluffier and super tender. And for the same reason, the chances of it becoming chewy or dense are reduced.
This doesn’t mean that the other methods are not as good but, without a doubt, method is very effective when it comes to making extra tender and fluffy sponges.
Watch how to make this Vegan Vintage Heart Cake step by step
How can I make the cake flour used in this Vegan Vintage Heart Vegan Cake recipe?
It is very simple. In a bowl add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, extract 2 tablespoons of it and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix very well and sift 5-7 times. And that’s it, use directly for the amount requested.
Where can I find the recipe for the vanilla frosting?
Click here to go to the recipe.
What are plant milks or dairy-free milks made of?
Plant milks are those made from grains, seeds or cereals, and which, therefore, are dairy-free. For example, soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, etc.
What type of oil is the best one for baking cakes?
Canola oil, definitely. It is the one with the most neutral flavor and makes the cake very soft in addition to giving the cake a lot of flexibility. But olive oil is also very good for baking cakes, although the flavor may be a little more noticeable.
What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked chickpeas, or the water from canned chickpeas. Personally, I prefer to cook the chickpeas from scratch (no salt, just dried chickpeas and water) to avoid consuming the chemicals and preservatives that come in canned products.
The ideal proportion to make aquafaba from scratch is to cook 1 cup of dried chickpeas with 4 cups of water, without salt or anything else, just chickpeas and water. When the chickpeas are cooked, the “broth” that remains is what we know as “aquafaba”. Aquafaba is basically what is used in the vegan world to replace egg whites for some recipes; it only requires to be beaten, in most cases, with cream of tartar (this acts as a stabilizer) until the desired consistency is obtained.
Some people find it helpful to bring the aquafaba to a simmer to make it more concentrated, but you don’t really need to do that step as long as you use the proper ratio of water when cooking the chickpeas.
Can I substitute cream of tartar in this Vegan Vintage Heart Cake recipe?
Yes, you can substitute the same amount for vinegar or lemon juice. Although personally, I always go for cream of tartar (it is an acid salt).
What cream of tartar does to aquafaba is stabilizing it just so it’s possible to emulate the function of egg whites. The protein contained in egg whites acts as its “natural stabilizer”, which is not the same with aquafaba (it does not contain protein by itself), that’s the reason why it is important to add some kind of natural additive to achieve the same effect.
Can I freeze the sponges for this Vegan Vintage Heart Cake?
Absolutely, just wrap the up tight with plastic film or pop them in an airtight bag.
What do I do if I don’t have aquafaba?
I know that this type of cake requires more steps and ingredients, but I promise you that it is very worth it. However, if you want to make a simpler cake, you can prepare other sponges that are just as good and don’t require aquafaba. Here are the links to some other options:
Pecan sponge cake
Vanilla sponge cake
Orange sponge cake
Remember that to prepare this Vegan Vintage Heart Cake the following is very important:
1. If you have a scale, weigh your ingredients instead of measuring them with cups and tablespoons. This is to be as accurate as possible.
2. When you take the sponges out of the oven, let them cool still in the pans for 10 minutes before flipping them over.
3. Keep in mind that all ovens are different and the baking time may vary slightly.
Now, let’s prepare this delicious and Vegan Vintage Heart Cake ♥
Vegan Vintage Heart Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-dairy milk preferably a creamy milk like soy or coconut
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 162 g cake flour* (1⅓ cups)
- 18 g cornstarch (2 tbsp)
- 130 g sugar (10 tbsp)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup canola oil (69 g)
- 28 g margarine or vegetable shortening (2 tbsp)
- 39 g aquafaba (3 tbsp)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Filling
- Vanilla frosting**
- ½ cup mixed berry jam
Instructions
- Before you start preparing the recipe, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Grease and flour two 15 cm heart-shaped pans. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Mix the milk with the vinegar and vanilla. Reserve.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Proceed to sift them. Add oil, margarine and mix until you get some kind of cookie dough (make sure there are no unmixed flour lumps). Reserve.
- Mix the aquafaba with the cream of tartar and whisk until very foamy (about 4 minutes). Reserve.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Add the aquafaba and beat again until completely integrated.
- If you want the cake to have a little touch of pink inside, reserve ¼ part of the batter and, in equal portions, pour the mixture into the previously greased and floured pans.
- To the ¼ part that you reserved, add a little red or pink food coloring and mix. Divide it between the two pans and give it a little swirl with a toothpick.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven, and let them cool for 10-15 minutes (still in the pans). Then, tap the molds lightly to loosen them and separate the sponge from the pan; place a rack on top and flip them over.
- Let them cool completely before assembling.
- Fill the cake with mixed berry jam, vanilla buttercream and decorate in a vintage style as shown in the recipe video (we really recommend watching the video so you get a similar result to the photos).
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