Vegan Hummingbird Cake With Zesty Lemon Coconut Cream {DF, GF & Vegan} & Is Anyone Out There??
I have been promising this recipe for sometime now guys and today is the day that I am going to give it to you. It’s my Vegan Humming Bird Cake With Zesty Lemon Coconut Cream and can I tell you your socks will be blown right off. This recipe was one of my fave’s to create and it feels like I probably made this recipe about 4 months ago now but being the unmotivated blogger that I am (I mean who reads blogs anymore? You’re here just for the recipe right?) it has taken me sometime to sit down and actually put a post together for this cake.
Before I go on talking about this cake I feel like I have to get this off my chest. I have been blogging nearly 10 years (It’ll be 9 years this May) and can I say it’s been sad to see over the past couple of years the decline in interaction amongst bloggers and readers. Well I feel like it for me anyway. In my early blogging days I felt like I had a relationship of sorts with my readers…. I even got comments daily! We shared our recipes and projects on other bloggers sharing parties and everyone commented and interacted with everyone else. These days when I write a post I feel like I’m in a little glass fish bowl yelling loudly, waving my hands saying HELLO IS ANYONE OUT THERE? All I hear is crickets. Sometimes there might even be head banging against the glass because I feel like what is the point in blogging anymore because does anyone actually even read blogs anymore? Don’t get me started on social media and all the algorithim stuff!! Are we too caught up in short sharp captions on Instagram and the quick fix of insta-stories or scrolling quickly on Facebook that we have forgotten how to take time to sit and read a few paragraphs of what somebody has written?? Has our attention spans shortened that much? Or is it me? Maybe blogging is just not a thing anymore?
During the Christmas/New Year break I had to take a long hard look at what I would do with the blog for 2019. The end of 2018 kicked my rear end hard - as most of end of years do. I felt like I never was able to give the blog the attention it needed and I kind of felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants most of the year with it. I don’t know how other bloggers can sit down and plan out their whole year. Not me. Ha. The blog is not my full-time job. My husband and my kids are followed by my freelance food photography business which keeps me hopping most weeks followed lastly by the blog. It isn’t my sole focus anymore. For me to develop a recipe, cook, style & photograph it, edit the photographs, write the blog post, write the recipe, share across all social media sites (which nobody sees) takes me a solid 4-5 days with (a lot) of interruptions.
I had to figure out in my heart if I truly need to rethink about continuing the blog for 2019. The answer is I do not know. Do I just keep popping in with recipes and projects as they come along or do I pack up shop and call it a day once I’ve completed all the backlogged recipes I have in my draft folder. There is a few. I will let you know when I’ve come to a final decision but for now before we get onto cake I will implore those who read blogs to share your favourite bloggers content, comment on their blog posts, comment on their Instagram and other social media sites and show them LOVE. With new algorithms on the big social media sites it is increasingly harder to get anyone to see your content. Let’s go and eat some cake.
This cake will take all your worries away in a single bite. A delicious combination of coconut and pineapple infused cake with billowy soft coconut whipped cream topped with drizzles of fresh passion fruit, orange segments and dried pineapple slices (which look a little like flowers :-) ) I specifically made this recipe to be vegan friendly using aquafaba (chickpea water) in leiu of eggs and coconut cream instead of whipped cream which makes is dairy free too. The whole cake is gluten free as well. So allergy folks this one should hopefully fit your requirements. The almond meal in this recipe can be subbed with ground sunflowers to make it nut free. I hope you give it a go and enjoy every mouthful.
Vegan Humming Bird Cake With Zesty Lemon Coconut Cream
Prep Time: 30 minutes + Chilling
Cook Time: 55-60 minutes
Ingredients (Serves 12)
- 140g almond meal
- 250g gluten free all purpose flour (I use bob mills)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger, ground
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 440g tin crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 x medium, ripe bananas, mashed
- 250g light olive oil
- 6 tbsp aquafaba (chickpea water) see cooks note
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 x 400ml tins coconut cream - chilled in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
- 1/2 cup coconut yoghurt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/2 x fresh pinapple, skin removed, sliced thinly
- 1 x Orange, halved & thinly sliced
- 4 x passionfruit, pulp removed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 100 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
Pineapple FlowersPlace the thinly sliced pieces of pineapple between paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Place the pieces onto the lined baking tray and place into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes on one side, flip and repeat for a further 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pineapple slices into a muffin tin and press down to create the flower shape. Let these cool while you make the cake.
Vegan Hummingbird CakeTurn the oven up to 175 degrees C.
In a large mixing bowl add the almond meal, all purpose flour, baking powder, spices, coconut sugar and coconut and mix together to combine. To the dry ingredients add the crushed pineapple, mashed banana, olive oil, aquafaba and apple cider vinegar. Mix the ingredients together to form a smooth batter.
Pour into the lined springform cake tin and smooth out.
Place into the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
Zesty Lemon Coconut CreamRemove the two tins of coconut cream from the fridge and scoop out the firm white cream at the top of the can. Leave the clear liquid at the bottom.
Add the coconut cream along with the vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the coconut yoghurt and lemon zest and beat for a further 30 seconds to combine. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
AssemblyCut the cooled cake in half and spread half of the zesty lemon coconut cream over the bottom half. Place the top half on the cream and repeat with the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake.
Decorate with orange slices and pineapple flowers and finish with a drizzle of passionfruit pulp.
Serve immediately or keep in an airtight container.
Cooks Notes- The cake can be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge or kept in the freezer for up to a month.
- The pineapple flowers can be made up to a day ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
- The Zesty Lemon Coconut Cream can also be made up to 4 days in advance and you guessed it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Google aquafaba if you want to learn more about how to use it in cooking.
