Vegan Battenberg Cake

if you are looking for something a little different for the festive table this year, then a vegan and sugar-free cake could do just the trick. When this recipe is cut up into long rectangles, it can be made into this super healthy Battenberg Cake. Using ingredients like raw beetroot it gives you a cake with added nutritional value. The raw beetroot and fruit jams give the cake a vibrant colour and a natural sweet taste without the white stuff. The cakes are also made with healthy, omega 3-rich, virgin coconut oil.

You could use gluten-free flours if needed, but white flour will help the colours of the cake to stand out a little more (brown rice flour, for instance, would work but the colours may look a little ‘darker.’

You could also make a bright orange sponge with sliced carrot and apricot jam and make a red and orange Battenburg cake if you fancy something a little different. Or how about having one with all 3 colours for a Christmas party?

To make the checkerboard design, put the cake together using sugar-free apricot jam to stick the sliced layers together. As it’s Christmas coming up, covering it all up with some vegan marzipan (most marzipan is vegan already but it just depends if you want the sugar content or not). Topping with some freshly ground almonds can finish it all off.

Vegan Battenberg Cake

Red as a Beetroot Sponge Ingredients

• 80g Raw Beetroot, peeled and sliced thinly
• 80g Coconut oil
• 80g 100% fruit blueberry jam
• 150g Self Raising Flour

What To Do:

1. Put the sliced raw beetroot, coconut oil and sugar free jam in a blender. It needs to be a strong one like a Ninja or NutriBullet.
2. Grind to a smooth paste. Put this in a bowl and slowly incorporate the flour. Beat well it should be a sticky dough, add a little almond milk if it is a bit dry.
3. Transfer to a small square baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180C for about 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Cool as a Coconut Sponge

• 60g Coconut oil
• 80g Agave syrup
• 100ml Almond milk
• 150g Self Raising Flour
• 25g desiccated coconut

What to do:

1. Put the coconut oil, syrup and almond milk  in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste to soften the oil. Put this in a bowl and stir in the desiccated coconut.
2. Slowly incorporate the flour and beat well. It should be a sticky dough, add a little almond milk if it is a bit dry.
3. Transfer to a small square baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180C for about 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Do you think that you’ll give this a go? It would be great to hear what you think about the recipe. For more recipes like this, check out Keith On Food.