This cake is absoulutly delicious! And ever since I went gluten-free I have been trying to come up with a recipe for the sponge cake that is at least mostly fruit sweetened and has the same kind of texture and golden colour. I had many fails…and the more fails I had, the longer it took me to give it another go.

Then these yeast-free bread rolls happened and I was inspired to use a similar concept for the sponge cake. Cooked pumpkin or kumara (sweet potato) was the secret ingredient! Yay!

So, yes, this cake is vegan, gluten-free and without oil! I still can’t quite believe it. I used a classic flan / tart pan but you can also use a standard tart form or spring form too.

For a 28cm flan pan:

For the dough:
130g rice flour
130g buckwheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
400ml water
100g dates,pitted and diced
100g cooked pumpkin or orange sweet potato
2 teaspoon psyllium fiber husk
1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla

For the vanilla custard layer:
250ml plant mylk (I used homemade almond mylk)
40g dates, pitted and diced
2 tablespoon corn starch (or potato starch)
1 teaspoon agar agar powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch ground turmeric

For the jelly:
200ml water
1 teaspoon agar agar powder
1 teaspoon corn starch (or potato starch)
Fruit for topping (strawberries or other berries, kiwi fruit, sweet persimmon or other fruits)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top-/bottom heat). Mix the rice flour, buckwheat flour and baking powder for the dough in a bowl.

2. Blend the remaining ingredients for the dough in a high-speed blender. Pour into the bowl and stir to combine. Spread the dough evenly in the flan pan.

3. Place in oven and bake for approx. 20 minutes or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Let cool down before taking it out of the pan. It can be a bit tricky, the wooden skewer can be helpful in removing the cake from the pan. Let cool down a little before the next step.

4. For the custard layer, blend all ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and gently bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

5. Once the custard starts to thicken up considerably, spread it evenly over the cake. Let cool down in the fridge until it is set.

6. Prepare your topping of choice and spread it evenly onto the custard.

7. For the jelly, whisk the ingredients in a small pot and gently bring to the boil. Once it thickens up, let cool down a little bit for a few minutes (make sure it doesn’t set too early). Then, starting from the center of the cake, drizzle it over the fruits.*

8. Store in fridge for a little longer until the jelly has set. Enjoy!

* The jelly has a preserving effect and lets the fruits topping stay fresh longer. You don’t have to add it if the cake will be eating all at once.

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

The Perfect Vegan & Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake for Summer

Now I’m growing my own strawberries and I’ve been collecting them patiently. I just wanted to find a way to re-create this recipe suitable for a vegan & gluten-free diet. The first sponge cake that I tried to bake failed quite badly. So did the second one. But all good things come in three (as people say in Germany) and the third cake was a SUCCESS!

Best result is achieved with a proper flan pan, which creates a border on the outside, so that the jelly filling doesn’t run down the sides. A normal spring-form does the job, too.

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Vegan Gluten-Free Strawberries Spongecake Recipe

If you love the taste of fresh strawberries and a light, fluffy sponge, this vegan and gluten-free strawberries spongecake brings summer to every bite. Made with wholesome flours and naturally sweetened, this cake combines a delicate sponge base with juicy strawberries, a glossy strawberry jelly, and a creamy vanilla cashew finish. Perfect for celebrations, gatherings, or a cozy afternoon treat!

Course Desserts

Cuisine German

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan

Keyword cashew cream, fruit cake, jelly topping, spring dessert, Strawberry season

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Cooling & setting time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 23cm spring-form

Author The Vegan Monster

Equipment

• Springform pan (≈23 cm)
• mixing bowls (small & large)
• Whisk & spatula
• Saucepan (for jelly)
• Blender (for cashew cream)
• Cooling rack
• measuring cups/spoons

Ingredients

• 450 g strawberries
• 120 g sorghum flour
• 70 g buckwheat flour
• 100 g brown rice flour
• 2 teaspoon fiber husk
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 banana 200g
• 1 heaped tablespoon egg replacer
• 4 tablespoon water
• 40 g coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 1/4 cup water or soda water

For the jelly:

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 teaspoon agar agar
• leftover strawberries that won’t fit on the cake

For the vanilla cashew cream:

• 110 g cashew nuts
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 heaped teaspoon vanilla paste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C and grease the spring-form with a little oil. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl, stir well and place aside.
• In a large bowl whisk the egg replacer with the water until well dissolved. Add the banana and mash to a fine cream. Then add the coconut sugar and whisk until dissolved.
• Transfer the dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients, add the water and stir quickly to mix well. Don’t stir too long or the dough won’t rise as good. Quickly transfer to the spring-form.
• Bake at 190°C for approx. 20 – 25 minutes (depending on oven type). Let cool down properly, then turn the sponge cake upside down, leaving it in the spring-form.
• In the meantime mix the agar agar with the water and let soak for at least 10 minutes. Wash the strawberries, remove the leaves and cut them into halves. Place the strawberries on the cake until the whole surface is well covered.
• If there are any leftover strawberries, they can be blended with the jelly water. Transfer the jelly water to a small pot and bring gently to boil, while stirring constantly. Then let simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Let the jelly cool down to a lukewarm temperature. By placing the pot in a cold water bath, it will cool down quicker. Make sure to stir the cooling fluid regularly to avoid clumps. Once the jelly is lukewarm, pour it over the cake. Chill in the fridge until set.
• For the vanilla cashew cream, blend the ingredients to a fine cream. It’s important to soak the cashews for at least 1 hour before using.

Notes

Enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.