This was my holiday cake this year. I wanted something festive, but not heavy like chocolate because I knew we’d be eating a lot of other good food at Mom’s. And I thought “Orange is a holiday flavour, right?” But it needed something more to get it there, so orange spice. I looked around at a bunch of orange and/or spice cakes and settled on this one that I just had to 1) make gluten-free, 2) double for a two-layer cake, and 3) figure out an icing for it: http://goodhabitsandguiltypleasures.com/recipe/orange-spice-cake/.
For the icing, I settled on almond because I thought it would be a nice complement to orange without trying to overpower it. The following recipe adaptation is for a two-layer cake. I also switched around the zest for some orange juice and orange extract.
GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN ORANGE SPICE CAKE (WITH ALMOND FROSTING)
adapted from goodhabitsandguiltypleasures.com
240mL plant milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
240mL orange juice
140g melted coconut oil
3 tsp orange extract
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
100g sorghum flour
60g brown rice flour
60g almond flour
110g corn starch
300g organic cane sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
You can find the method on the original recipe page. I used two 20cm round cake pans that I greased instead of a springform one. Add the orange juice in the milk mixture in step 2, add the orange extract with the vanilla in step 4.
Almond Frosting*
125g vegan shortening
75g vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
700g powdered sugar
5 tbsp plant milk
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Using an electric mixer, beat the shortening and margarine together until fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating in between. (Add some of the milk if the frosting starts becoming too dry before the sugar is completely incorporated.)
- Add in the plant milk and extracts, then beat until combined.
- Be sure your cakes are cooled down completely before you frost, else it will melt.
*This icing was bit improvised on the spot. I took some notes as I was doing it, but it’s possible my quantities here aren’t exactly accurate, so I’d recommend to keep an eye out on the texture and taste and adjust as you mix.
