Layer Cake with Vanilla Frosting

This is a delicious and beautiful looking cake, especially wonderful for birthday and festive celebrations. It does require more labour and time, but can be broken up into smaller projects and is definitely worth all the effort. We took it from The Forks Over Knives Family Recipes book from page 252, but have adapted it in so many ways over the years. Guests will have a trying time figuring out what makes the frosting texture so creamy is actually white beans. The original recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour. We don’t usually have too many specialty flours on hand so we always substitute with regular whole wheat flour and the cake turns out great. This is such a fun a tasty cake. Everybody in our family loves chocolate, but one of our children did not when they were younger. We were so grateful to have found this alternative and it has also become a family favoruite. We found plant based decorations at the local grocery store to further get creative with this delicious recipe.

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavoured plant milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking poweder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For The Frosting And Filling:

• 1 (15-once) can white beans, rinsed and rained (about 1^1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Additional Decorations and Jam Between Layers:

• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup fruit sweetened jam
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups fresh mixed berries for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a round piece of parchment paper line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan.
2. To make the cake: Using a medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, and ground flaxseed. Set aside and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
3. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract to the mixture and save for later.
4. Take a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined.
5. Combine the liquid ingredients with the dry mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir thoroughly.
6. Transfer the batter to the lined cake pans and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out dry. Roughly this takes 45-50 minutes in the oven.
7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and carefully separate the sides of the cake from the sides of the pan using a spatula. Flip upside down onto a cooling rack to further cool the cake.
8. Preparing the frosting: In a medium saucepan, add the beans, maple syrup and almond flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Cook with medium-low heat for 5 minutes or so that the flavours can blend together. Take the pan off the heating element to cool for around 10 minutes.
9. Take the frosting mixture and transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend the mixture until the consistency is smooth and spreadable. If necessary, add minimal amounts of water in increments to ensure the frosting continues to move in the processor. At this step, the frosting can be separated into different proportions and food colouring can be added and blended to create a variety of colours for unique cake decorations.
10. Remove the frosting from the bowl and refrigerate for atleast 1 hour before using
11. Building the cake: using a large knife wet with water to prevent sticking, slice the cake horizontally for form separate layers.
12. Using the bottom layer with the cut side up creates the bottom base. Smooth the jam or use frosting evenly on top spreading to within 1/2 inch of the outside edge (this is to ensure that the jam does not get squeezed out when the upper layer is added).
13. Add the top layer of the cake on the jam or extra frosting. Liberally cover the top and sides of the cake with frosting and use a spatula to smooth over.
14. Refrigerate the cake for atleast 1 hour before serving. When we have celebrations, we usually make the cake a day in advance with the frosting smoothed out. The day of eating the cake, decorate with berries, sprinkles, extra frosting for writing messages as close to time of serving as possible.