Spiced Ginger Cake with Caramel and Two Buttercreams
By OcadoLife
Published on 25 November 2021
This tasty vegan bake has a winning combination of flavours,
combining a spiced ginger cake with caramel and two buttercreams: vanilla and
Biscoff. Plenty of ground ginger creates just the right amount of heat, while
the fluffy and moist sponge will wow vegans and non-vegans alike. If you’re
making this at Christmas, try one of Kim-Joy’s three decorating suggestions: Melting Snowman, Penguin Parade, Frosted Forest. A 2018 Great
British Bake Off finalist and author of three baking books, Kim-Joy knows
exactly how to add some fun to your festive bakes!Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 215 g of vegan butter, plus extra for greasing
- 360 ml of unsweetened soya milk
- 175 g of caster sugar
- 250 g of dark brown soft sugar
- 40 g of black treacle
- 0.5 tsp of salt
- 150 ml of sunflower oil
- 1.5 tbsp of vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsp of white wine vinegar
- 330 g of self-raising flour
- 1.5 tsp of baking powder
- 2.5 tbsp of ground ginger
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 65 g of crystallised ginger, chopped
- 60 g of coconut cream
- 400 g of icing sugar
- 80 g of lotus biscoff spread
- 2 tsp of plant-based milk
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Grease the base and sides of 2 x 20cm round cake tins with vegan butter, then line the bases with baking paper.Step 2
Add the soya milk, 55g of caster sugar, dark brown sugar, treacle, salt and oil to a large pan. Stir over a medium heat until the treacle has combined with the rest of the mixture. Take off the heat and stir in ½ tbsp of vanilla and the vinegar.Step 3
In a bowl, combine all the dry cake ingredients, including the crystallised ginger. Tip into the pan of wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Pour into the tins and bake for 25-30 mins, or until springy on top and a knife inserted into the middles comes out clean. Leave the cakes in their tins for 5 mins then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a cooling rack. Peel off the baking paper and leave to cool completely.Step 4
Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce. Add the remaining caster sugar and 40ml water to a saucepan set over a high heat. Stir occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and wait until it turns an amber colour. Don’t stir once the sugar has dissolved or it might turn grainy; instead, swirl the pan to even out the colour. Remove from the heat and add the coconut cream, stirring with a balloon whisk. The sauce will bubble up, so be careful! Continue stirring until you have a smooth, combined sauce. Add 15g of the vegan butter, stir until dissolved, then pour into a medium-sized bowl; sprinkle with a little salt, to taste. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs, or 1 hr in the freezer.Step 5
Next, make the buttercreams. Add the remaining vegan butter and icing sugar to a large mixing bowl, then use an electric whisk to beat until pale and fluffy. Transfer two-thirds into a separate bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Add the Biscoff spread to the remaining third of the buttercream and whisk until well combined. The Biscoff can stiffen the buttercream, so add 1-2 tsp plant-based milk, as needed, to create a spreadable consistency.Step 6
Once the cakes are cool, you can decorate them. If they rose into domes during baking, use a serrated knife to level the tops first. They’ll keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, but are best within 1-2 days.