Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Lime Scented Vegan Sponge Cake

This lime scented sponge cake is absolutely delicious and easy to bake too. Lemons can be substituted for the lime juice as well as the rind. Without the use of eggs or butter, it is not only animal friendly, but health friendly too :-). Who needs 'heart attack on a plate' for dessert anyway, right :-)?

I used this cake in the "trifle" dessert and it was a huge success beyond my anticipation!

This recipe produces 1 large cake or 2 thin layers for a layer cake.

Ingredients:
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup fresh Lime Juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup Canola oil
  • 1 cup water
  • Lime rind grated from 1 Lime
  • 2 cups unbleached flour + extra for dusting the cake pans
  • 3 tsp baking powder

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Lightly coat one 11 by 13 inch OR two 9 inch diameter layer cake pans with a cooking oil spray. Lightly dust the pan(s) with a little flour.
  3. Finely grate the rind (only the green part) from 1 lime (2 if the limes are small) before juicing; you should have about 1 tsp.
  4. Juice enough limes to make 1/3 cup of juice - about 2 limes.
  5. In a large mixing bowl combine the corn starch in the 1/3 cup of lime juice using a wire whisk until slightly frothy.
  6. Add the grated lime rind, oil, water, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.
  7. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir well.
  8. Sift the flour mixture into the bowl with the cornstarch mixture.
  9. Combine thoroughly with a whisk or rubber spatula just until all is mixed well.
  10. Pour batter into the oiled baking pan(s) and bake for about 20 minutes or until done.
  11. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  12. Serve as is, with berries and custard, or fill and frost as you wish - Lime Curd or Vanilla Custard make great fillings.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi geetha!

I saw your recipe online and really liked the idea because my son is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. and so i wanted to make something for his birthday. I do have a couple of questions. Can I use all purpose flour instead of unbleached flour? and vegetable oil instead of canola oil?
thanks!

Geetha said...

Hi Anon,

Yes, absolutely use all-purpose flour; unbleached flour is really all-purpose flour that is not bleached. Vegetable oil will be just fine too. I hope this works out for you. Let me know how the cake turns out. Happy Birthday to your son :)!

Anonymous said...

thanks geetha!
before i make the cake... i actually have self rising flour and would like to use that. how can i substitute it in this recipe? do i still need to add the salt? and also is there a substitute for cornstarch? thanks a lot!!

Geetha said...

Hi Anon,

If you like to use self-rising flour, omit salt and the baking powder as these are already in it. A commercial egg-replacer or an equal amount of ground flax seeds can replace the cornstarch. Happy baking!

Anonymous said...

I made you cake and it was very good. thank you for a wonderful recipe. I did put vanilla icing on the cake to see how the combination would be. I did have a couple of questions though.
1. When i put the icing on the cake and placed it in the fridge.. the cake because hard. is there anything I can do about that?

2. If i just cover the cake after it is made.. the top part becomes sticky and moist. so putting the icing may be hard.not sure what to do here either. any ideas??

thanks!!

Geetha said...

Hi Anon,

I am glad the cake came out good. Regarding your questions,
1. If the cake is not sealed with the icing, it will dry out and become hard; also if refrigerated, it should be in an airtight container.
2. The cake should be completely cool before covering to avoid moisture from condensing and making it sticky.
I hope this helps. Happy baking!

Anonymous said...

a, What sized cake pan do you use? Thanks.

Geetha said...

Hi Anon,

I have used both type of cake pans (Please check step # 2 for the pan sizes) depending on what I am planning to do with it. For a layer cake, I use 2 round pans; but for trifle or just as a snack, the larger rectangular pan works great. I hope this helps.

Unknown said...

Hi,

I know this is an old thread, but do you think raw sugar would be ok as opposed to white sugar? It is grittier, but i prefer to use it!

Thanks

Geetha said...

Hello Kelfen,
Raw sugar will work just as well as white sugar; in fact I use evaporated sugarcane juice, turbinado, or raw cane sugar - all work great. Happy cooking :)

kaverih said...

hello,Geetha,
just wanted to ask if corn flour can be used in place of cornstarch

Geetha said...

Hello Kaveri, I believe corn starch is also known as corn flour in some places - it is a fine white powder. Ground corn kernels cannot be used as a substitute; but arrowroot powder is an acceptable substitute. I hope this helps. Happy cooking!