It’s that time of the year when oranges are finally in season. Today, I will share with you a very simple vegan orange cake recipe with a twist. I will also let you in on a simplified version of a chocolate mirror glaze that is popular with wedding cakes and in high-end hotels. Are you excited? Let’s get started.
The Vegan Orange Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g wheat flour – You can also use the gluten-free varieties
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (adjust per your liking)
- 60 ml soymilk or almond milk
- 75 ml coconut oil (or any other liquid oil available)
- 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp. orange juice
- Orange zest (1 orange)
- Lemon zest (1/2 lemon) – optional. Lemon gives the cake a tangy taste to balance out the sweetness of the orange juice.
- A pinch of salt
Procedure
Preheat your oven to 180ºC (356 F)
Then start by juicing fresh oranges. Measure out the required amount in a large bowl. Now grate just one of the juiced orange rinds and half a lemon rind, and add to the bowl.
Add all the other wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, and salt). Gently fold using a wooden spatula until well mixed. It’s OK to have a few lumps so don’t over mix.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is well cooked.
Let it chill in the fridge as you prepare the glaze.
For the Chocolate Mirror Glaze
The secret to this recipe is using a thermometer. When tempering chocolate, noting the temperature is very important.
Ingredients
- 10g Agar agar – Non-vegans use gelatin for the mirror effect. We shall use agar agar. Some retail stores have this labeled as “vegan gelatin”. However, this ingredient can be left out if you don’t need your glazing looking shiny.
- 125ml water
- 225g granulated sugar
- 150g good quality dark vegan chocolate
- 30g sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
- 60g coconut cream
Procedure
Mix the agar agar with 4 tablespoons of orange juice (you can use the freshly squeezed orange juice or store bought, or just plain water).
In a shallow pan, bring the water and sugar to a boil with the kitchen thermometer inserted. Add the agar agar just before boiling. Remove this mixture from the heat at exactly 104 ºC (220 F). Add the dark chocolate bars add stir with a whisk until they melt. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix well.
Now add the coconut cream, and mix well. Sieve this liquid to get rid of any lumps. If you’re still not happy with the consistency, use a hand blender and sieve again. The finer the liquid the smoother the glaze will be.
To Serve our Vegan Orange Cake
Remove your cake from the fridge and swirl the chocolate glaze whichever way you like. You can also cover the entire cake in the glaze. Then let it chill until the glaze is firm enough before you place the final garnish elements. I used mint leaves and berries just before serving my vegan orange cake. Enjoy!