Menu
Menu
Here we are again, on that time of year when trick-or-treat is the only options we have!
This year I decided to bring another cake to celebrate this frightening night.
In my opinion, no party table is complete without a cake. We’ve already talked about this in another recipe, but I’ll say it again, cakes are the kings of the party, the center of attention, the most desired piece at the auction.
On a Halloween table, the cake must be well dressed and must be in according with the theme, inside and out. The WOW factor when cutting the slice is even more important on a night like this. So, the cake that I bring to share with you today is the perfect harmony between a bold and dramatic look, and a brutal flavor and textures!
“Oh but it doesn’t look healthy!” Being healthy or not is quite subjective. If we compare it to any cake from the supermarket, it will certainly be healthier. But health is not only what we eat, it is also what we live and the general balance between everything that makes up our daily lives. Is eating a slice of an “unhealthy” cake on a festive day something that will negatively affect our health? Certainly not! Quite the opposite. Enjoying a piece of cake with friends and family on a special day can only bring good things.
EASY TO MAKE | FLUFFY | MOIST | RICH IN FLAVORS | TO SURPRISE | DRAMATIC | APPROVED BY CHILDREN
Before I start talking to you about the recipe itself, let me tell you that although it seems like a complex cake to make, it isn’t. It has a few more steps than usual as it is a cake with two types of filling and a frosting, but none of these steps is complicated to do. They are all simple processes that are easily done at home with no need of super skills.
Although it doesn’t seem like it at first glance, this cake is a simple walnut cake. Who said that a walnut cake always has to be that late-afternoon thing in autumn with a cup of tea?
I made this cake combining two types of flour, plain wheat flour and walnut flour. I could have used whole wheat flour or even spelt flour but the end result of the cake would certainly have been drier and I really wanted a very moist cake.
The walnut flour I used was from Dragon SuperFoods. A flour made from 100% organic walnut which makes it a good source of fiber, magnesium, calcium, zinc and even protein. Like all Dragon SuperFoods nut flours, this flour is a very fine flour which makes it super easy to incorporate in the most varied recipes without weighing too much on the final result. Furthermore, it has an absolutely divine nutty aroma and taste!
The cake itself is quite easy to make and should be the first step, so it can cool down properly before we start with all the decorations and fillings. As you can see it’s a black cake which means it needed coloring. I opted for a black gel food coloring (suitable for vegans) which normally dyes best cake doughs, especially when we want the result to be very strong and not that washed-out color.
After the cake in the oven, it’s time to make the fillings. For the blackberry coulis, simply place frozen blackberries in a pan together with orange juice and sugar, and let it reduce until they start to fall apart. Then put it in a blender and grind everything. Finally, with the help of a small sieve, strain all the coulis to remove all the seeds and get a smooth and creamy final result.
The walnut praline seems difficult but it isn’t either. Basically you just need to make caramel and mix the walnuts in the same caramel. Then pour everything onto a surface covered with parchment paper, distribute it well so that it cools and solidifies. Then, you brok it into pieces, place in a food processor with a few spoons of soy milk and grind until obtaining a smooth cream.
The frosting of this cake is a simple butter cream which is nothing more than butter and powdered sugar well beaten to create a smooth and perfect cream to cover the cake. In this particular case, I added black gel food coloring to achieve the desired appearence.
Finally, just assemble the cake, add some small textures with a piping tip and decorate with some Halloween accessories that you have at home.
I know it sounds difficult, but it isn’t! Believe me.
It’s worth trying especially if you are as passionate about Halloween as I am! Nobody will be indifferent to your masterpiece!
Let’s get to know all the ingredients needed?
FOR THE CAKE
1 cup and 1/2 (210gr) of plain wheat flour
1 cup and 1/2 (105gr) of Dragon SuperFoods Walnut flour
1 cup and 1/2 (230gr) of yellow sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp and 1/2 of baking powder
2 and1/2 cups (600gr) of unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup (55gr) of avocado oil
3 coffee spoons of black gel food coloring
FOR THE COULIS
500g of frozen blackberries
3 tbsp of yellow sugar
Juice of an orange
FOR THE PRALINE
1 cup and 1/2 (330gr) of white sugar
100g of water
200gr of walnuts
FOR THE BUTTER CREAM
190gr of vegan margarine
460gr of confectioner’s sugar (powder)
FOR THE CAKE
1 cup and 1/2 (210gr) of plain wheat flour
1 cup and 1/2 (105gr) of Dragon SuperFoods Walnut flour
1 cup and 1/2 (230gr) of yellow sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp and 1/2 of baking powder
2 and1/2 cups (600gr) of unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup (55gr) of avocado oil
3 coffee spoons of black gel food coloring
FOR THE COULIS
500g of frozen blackberries
3 tbsp of yellow sugar
Juice of an orange
FOR THE PRALINE
1 cup and 1/2 (330gr) of white sugar
100g of water
200gr of walnuts
FOR THE BUTTER CREAM
190gr of vegan margarine
460gr of confectioner’s sugar (powder)
1- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and prepare a 20cm round cake pan. Grease the pan with avocado oil or butter and line it with parchment paper.
2 – In a bowl place the soy milk together with the apple cider vinegar. Mix and let it settle.
3- In another bowl place all the dry ingredients and stir with the whisk just to mix.
4- Now mix the wet with the dry ingredients and stir well until everything is well incorporated. Add in the oil, stir again, and finally add the black gel coloring. Stir one last time until you have a homogeneous dough in texture and color.
5- Pour the dough into the pan and put it in the oven for approximately 40 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6- While the cake bakes, make the BLACKBERRY COULIS. Put all the ingredients in a pan, turn on the heat until the blackberries start to fall apart. Pour the coulis into a blender and grind well. Finally, with the help of a small sieve, strain all the coulis to obtain a smooth, velvety and seedless result. Put aside.
7- To make PRALINÉ start by roasting the walnuts by placing them in a skillet over a low heat. This process takes a few minutes and you should be stirring constantly to prevent the walnuts from burning. The intention is for the walnuts to start releasing some of their aroma, thus intensifying their flavor. Remove the walnuts from the pan and reserve.
8- In the same skillet, put the sugar and the water to make the caramel. The heat should be low as soon as it starts to boil. You don’t need to stir the sugar during the entire process. When it starts to turn amber color, take the handle of the pan and shake the pan so that all the sugar turns into the same color.
Remove from heat and add the walnuts. Stir well and pour onto a surface covered with parchment paper. Distribute the caramel as much as you can on the parchment paper. Let it cool and solidify. Once it’s set, breaks it into pieces and put it in a food processor. Add 10 tablespoons of soy milk and grind everything until you get a creamy and smooth result.
9- THE BUTTER CREAM should be made right before the time to decorate the cake so that it doesn’t lose structure. In a bowl place the butter and the sugar and beat with an electric mixer until you get a smooth and almost white cream. Add 7 coffee spoons of black gel coloring and beat again until the color is uniform throughout the cream.
10 – Time to assemble the cake. Cut the cake into 3 equal parts with the help of a large knife, you won’t need any fancy equipment to do this. Choose a nice dish and start with the first layer of cake, then spread a layer of praline all over the surface, followed by a generous layer of coulis. Repeat the process once more and finish with the last layer that will be cake.
11- Spread a generous layer of butter cream all over the cake with the help of a spatula so that you get a smooth surface. You may need to repeat the process to ensure the cake is completely covered in cream. Then with a piping tip and with the same butter cream, make some random motifs on your cake, just to bring more texture.
12- Finish by adding some Halloween decorations you may have around the house and you’re done!
1- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and prepare a 20cm round cake pan. Grease the pan with avocado oil or butter and line it with parchment paper.
2 – In a bowl place the soy milk together with the apple cider vinegar. Mix and let it settle.
3- In another bowl place all the dry ingredients and stir with the whisk just to mix.
4- Now mix the wet with the dry ingredients and stir well until everything is well incorporated. Add in the oil, stir again, and finally add the black gel coloring. Stir one last time until you have a homogeneous dough in texture and color.
5- Pour the dough into the pan and put it in the oven for approximately 40 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6- While the cake bakes, make the BLACKBERRY COULIS. Put all the ingredients in a pan, turn on the heat until the blackberries start to fall apart. Pour the coulis into a blender and grind well. Finally, with the help of a small sieve, strain all the coulis to obtain a smooth, velvety and seedless result. Put aside.
7- To make PRALINÉ start by roasting the walnuts by placing them in a skillet over a low heat. This process takes a few minutes and you should be stirring constantly to prevent the walnuts from burning. The intention is for the walnuts to start releasing some of their aroma, thus intensifying their flavor. Remove the walnuts from the pan and reserve.
8- In the same skillet, put the sugar and the water to make the caramel. The heat should be low as soon as it starts to boil. You don’t need to stir the sugar during the entire process. When it starts to turn amber color, take the handle of the pan and shake the pan so that all the sugar turns into the same color.
Remove from heat and add the walnuts. Stir well and pour onto a surface covered with parchment paper. Distribute the caramel as much as you can on the parchment paper. Let it cool and solidify. Once it’s set, breaks it into pieces and put it in a food processor. Add 10 tablespoons of soy milk and grind everything until you get a creamy and smooth result.
9- THE BUTTER CREAM should be made right before the time to decorate the cake so that it doesn’t lose structure. In a bowl place the butter and the sugar and beat with an electric mixer until you get a smooth and almost white cream. Add 7 coffee spoons of black gel coloring and beat again until the color is uniform throughout the cream.
10 – Time to assemble the cake. Cut the cake into 3 equal parts with the help of a large knife, you won’t need any fancy equipment to do this. Choose a nice dish and start with the first layer of cake, then spread a layer of praline all over the surface, followed by a generous layer of coulis. Repeat the process once more and finish with the last layer that will be cake.
11- Spread a generous layer of butter cream all over the cake with the help of a spatula so that you get a smooth surface. You may need to repeat the process to ensure the cake is completely covered in cream. Then with a piping tip and with the same butter cream, make some random motifs on your cake, just to bring more texture.
12- Finish by adding some Halloween decorations you may have around the house and you’re done!
*This recipe was supported by Pronatural.com.pt
*You can find the Dragon SuperFoods Walnut Flour at Pronatural’s online store with 10% off when using code TAVG
*You can make this cake without using any food coloring. The flavor and textures will be the same and the cake will not only be healthier but also suitable for any occasion.
* The gel coloring I used was from deKora brand and has no animal-derived ingredients. The gelling agent of this food coloring is based on Agar-agar.
*This recipe was supported by Pronatural.com.pt
*You can find the Dragon SuperFoods Walnut Flour at Pronatural’s online store with 10% off when using code TAVG
*You can make this cake without using any food coloring. The flavor and textures will be the same and the cake will not only be healthier but also suitable for any occasion.
* The gel coloring I used was from deKora brand and has no animal-derived ingredients. The gelling agent of this food coloring is based on Agar-agar.
N/A
N/A
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!