Raspberry Sandwich Cookie Cake (Vegan)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose or spelt flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups sugar (variety of choice)
• 1 cup soy milk (or other plant milk)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (e.g. canola, sunflower, or butter-flavored Alba oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 15.8 oz frozen raspberries (or other fruit, *see text above)
• 2/3 cup water (or red fruit juice)
• 5 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)
• 10.5 oz dairy-free whipping cream (chilled)
• 1 tbsp San-apart (or other cream stabilizer such as cornstarch or 1/4 tsp cream of tartar)
• 1.5 tbsp powdered sugar (or more to taste)
• 12 vegan butter cookies (or other cookies you prefer)
• raspberries
• red currants
• desiccated coconut

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Sponge Cake ---

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 356 °F (180 °C). Lightly grease a 9x9-inch (23x23 cm) or 11.5x7-inch (29x18 cm) or similar sized baking pan and line with parchment paper (*see notes).

3. 3

   Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Then add baking soda and salt and whisk together.

4. 4

   In a measuring cup, whisk together soy milk, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Then add to the flour mixture along with the sugar and stir until just combined.

5. 5

   Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Then gently tap the pan against the work surface a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and to smooth out the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a chopstick comes out clean.

6. 6

   Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

7. 7

   --- Raspberry Filling ---

8. 8

   Put the raspberries and half the water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the raspberries are thawed.

9. 9

   Dissolve the cornstarch, vanilla extract and sugar in the remaining water. Then stir it into the raspberry mixture and bring to a boil again until the raspberries are thickened. Then allow to cool.

10. 10

    --- Cream Filling ---

11. 11

    Beat the dairy-free cream with an electric hand mixer, adding in the san-apart and powdered sugar, until stiff peaks form.

12. 12

    --- Assemble the cake ---

13. 13

    Place a baking frame around the cake (or place the cake back in the baking pan (if needed, line the pan with parchment paper or cling film beforehand to make it easier to lift the cake out later).

14. 14

    Spread the raspberry filling over the cake and smooth it out. Then spread the whipped cream on top and smooth out as well (if there is some whipped cream left over, you can fill it in a piping bag and use it for decoration). Lastly, top with vegan butter cookies and chill for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

15. 15

    Cut the cake into sandwich slices and garnish with the remaining whipped cream, fresh raspberries, red currants and desiccated coconut as desired. Enjoy!