RECIPE: Strawberry sponge cake

Ingredients

Sponge

1 1/4 cups plant-based milk

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup melted vegan butter

1/2 cup of neutral oil (I use grape seed)

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

3 cups plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

500g vegan butter

500g icing sugar

1/4 cup strawberry essence

2 tbsp beetroot juice

500g strawberries

Edible flowers (optional)

Method

1. Combine the milk and vinegar to form buttermilk

2. Melt the butter and whisk it together with the oil and vanilla essence

3. Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder and whisk that together.

4. Combine the buttermilk with the wet mix and combine that with the dry mix.

5. Pour the mix equally into 2 20cm spring form pans and bake for 30 minutes at 180C.

6. Set aside to completely cool.

7. For the frosting, with an electric beater beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.

8. Halve the frosting and to one half add the strawberry essence and beetroot juice, and beat in.

9. Place one cake base on a serving plate and place 90 per cent of the strawberry frosting on top.

10. Use a knife to evenly spread it over the cake base.

11. Place the other cake on top and make sure they are in line.

12. Spread the white frosting all over the cake and down the side using a knife to push it into the gaps between the two cake layers and to create a lovely smooth result.

13. Place small blobs of the strawberry frosting around the cake and use a butter knife to create a marbled effect over the cake.

14. Cut half the strawberries in half and leave the other half whole.

15. Arrange them along the top of the cake and finish with some edible flowers.