This beautiful Vegan Tropical Celebration Cake is filled with vegan mango curd, passion fruit flavoured frosting and topped with a spectacular mango ‘rose’. Impressive yet easy to create and perfect as a Vegan Birthday Cake!
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After the all too brief ‘snowmaggedon’ last week, I can feel the spring vibes in the air, and not a moment too soon! Much as I loved the snow, I am longing for springtime, for flowers and warmer weather to come and stay.
After all we are in March and Mothering Sunday is just around the corner – this always takes me by surprise, by the way. And Mother’s Day is a perfect occasion to bake this rather showy vegan cake, who’s with me?
More and more people are adopting a fully vegan lifestyle and even more are embracing more plant based meals as part of their diet.
Tesco Real Food has a range of savoury and sweet plant-based recipes on their site, which is where I came across this vegan birthday cake recipe.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BIRTHDAY CAKE
This is a really easy cake recipe – all the ingredients get blitzed together in a food processor or blender to make the batter. The recipe called for 3x20cm (8in) cake tins, but I baked mine in four smaller 15cm (6in) tins to create a taller cake.
I brushed my sponge layers with a little lime syrup to add extra flavour and keep them moist.
The cake recipe calls for mango slices to be added between the layers, but I was really curious to try creating a vegan mango curd and I am pleased to report it was both super easy and super delicious.
If you decide to make the vegan mango curd, it would be best to make a day ahead so that it has time to chill and set properly in the fridge overnight. The cake layers can also be made a day ahead and kept at room temperature until needed.
The vegan ‘buttercream’ frosting is made with dairy-free spread and icing sugar. A little passion fruit syrup adds colour and flavour, but don’t be tempted to add too much or your frosting might split.
Sandwich your cake layers with the frosting and mango curd and then frost the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream – your crumb coat.
Here it would be best to chill the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes so that the final coating of frosting will be smooth and crumb-free.
I always prefer the slightly rustic look of naked cakes, where the sponge is still visible through the frosting. I say ‘prefer’ but the real reason is that I am too impatient to achieve a perfectly frosted look!
I topped my celebration cake with a mango ‘rose’ which is simply mango ribbons arranged in a concentric circle so that they resemble a blooming rose.
You could simply top with mango slices and a passion fruit seeds or coconut shavings and edible flowers instead. Take a look at the video below to see how it’s done!
Have you made my Vegan Birthday Cake? Tag me on Instagram or pop by on Facebook and make my day! 🙂
Vegan tropical celebration cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225 g 8oz dairy-free spread
- 400 ml 14oz can coconut milk, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 200 g | 7oz caster sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 425 g 15oz self-raising flour (or see notes)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 lime finely grated zest only
For the vegan mango curd
- 1 large mango peeled and cubed
- 400 ml 14oz can coconut milk
- 4 tbsp agave syrup
- 3 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornflour
- Juice of 2 limes
For the icing and decoration
- 225 g 8oz dairy-free spread
- 450 g 16oz icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp strained passion fruit juice
- 1 tsp vanilla or coconut extract
- 1 firm mango to decorate
- Lime zest to decorate
For the lime syrup
- 120 g 4oz sugar
- Juice of 2 limes
- Water
Instructions
- Make the mango curd: put all the ingredients in a high-power blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and stir in more agave syrup or more lime juice, to taste.
- Strain the pulp into a saucepan over a fine sieve and discard any solids.
- Cook over low heat, stirring with a balloon whisk, until the curd thickens. Transfer to a jar and leave to cool completely. Seal the jar and chill in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spray four 15 (6 in) cake tins with cake release (or grease with vegan spread) and line the bottoms with baking paper.
- Mix the coconut milk and vinegar and leave to stand for ten minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl.
- Add all the ingredients, into a food processor or blender and process until the batter is completely smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the processor midway to ensure all the ingredients are well blended.
- Divide the batter between the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and coming away from the sides of the tins. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes the carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Add the lime juice in a measuring jar and top with enough water to make up 120ml (1/2 cup) liquid. Add to a saucepan together with the sugar and cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and mixture almost comes to a simmer. Transfer to a jar to cool (leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week).
- Brush a little of the syrup over the cakes and then cover loosely with cling film.
- Add the vegan spread and icing sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine then increase the speed, gradually adding the strained passion fruit juice, until frosting is smooth. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip.
- Transfer the mango curd to a piping bag, snipping a small hole on the tip.
- Sandwich the cakes with the frosting and mango curd, piping a ring of frosting on the perimeter of the cakes to encase the curd.
- Add a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake and smooth using a side scraper. Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Add another layer of frosting over the chilled cake, smoothing as before.
- Peel ribbons off a ripe but firm mango, using a potato peeler. Arrange the ribbons in a concentric circle so that they resemble a blooming rose.
- Sprinkle the cake with lime zest and add a few edible flowers as decoration.
Video
Notes
Instead of self-raising flour, you can use plain (all purpose) flour and add 5 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp bicarbonate (baking) soda. Make sure your flour and raising agents are still fresh, otherwise you may end up with a dense bake.
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Kadisha says
I made this cake for my birthday and it is the nicest thing I have ever tasted in my life! So sweet and creamy but not sickly. I have eaten dairy cakes before being vegan and ths beats all of them!! I don’t understand how this recipe has not won an award 😆
Lucy Parissi says
Wow you have made my day Kadisha!! Thank you so much for your kind words xxx
Debbie says
A bit of faff but well worth the effort. It looks impressive and tastes amazing.
Lucy Parissi says
It’s a bit fiddly I agree! So glad you liked it 😘
Lorraine says
My first attempt at a specifically vegan recipe and it turned out to be a dream! Tasty cake, impressive to look at and easy to make.
Lucy Parissi says
I am so glad! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Michelle says
What size pans do you use for this recipe?
Lucy Parissi says
The recipe specifies 4x15cm (6in) pans which are quite small. You could use larger cake tins and get only 3 layers instead of four.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
Adoring your flavour combinations Lucy. The Mango rose is stunning. I was hoping that your video would have shown how to make it…… x
Carolyn says
This cake is beautiful!
Shinee says
Such a gorgeous cake!!! Love the flavors too!
Camilla Hawkins says
What a beautiful and tasty cake, perfect for reminding us about summer while we endure more wintery weather this week!
Megan says
That mango rose is fabulous.
Choclette says
Your cakes are just breathtaking Lucy. And not only that but they always sound absolutely gorgeous too. Love the addition of mango curd to this one. And I’m still finding myself surprised at just how good vegan bakes can be.
Janice says
That’s such a beautiful cake. I love how you have added the flowers on top.
Jersey Girl Cooks says
Gorgeous cake! And it’s vegan!
Hazel Rodrigues says
Such a gorgeous cake and must have been so hard to resist this lovely cake while you try to style it and photograph it. This would come in handy for some vegan friends next time they come over.
Lucy Parissi says
Thanks Hazel – I had a very generous slice as soon as I cut into the cake 🙂
Jane @ LittleSugarSnaps says
All of the details of this cake make it super special Lucy. I love how you’ve personalised it with that gorgeous curd and all of your tips in your write-up are super helpful too. i’m not vegan, but I want to make this cake ASAP.
Lucy Parissi says
Well the cake itself is so easy that older kids could make it unaided – so perfect for Mother’s Day!
Ashley says
Such a pretty cake! And props for it being vegan. I don’t think I could pull off something this fancy in my kitchen!
Lucy Parissi says
You totally could! It is such an easy cake – promise
Kaitie says
first off – those pictures are stunning! What a beautiful looking cake. Even better?! The addition of MANGO! I love that you made a mango curd that was layered in. This looks perfect and ‘bright’ for the spring!
Lucy Parissi says
That mango curd was so delicious I had to stop myself from eating it all 🙂
Roxana says
I make a mango cake, and this reminds me of that. Such a beautiful cake and love how you made it vegan.
Lucy Parissi says
Thanks Roxana it has a lovely fresh flavour
Julie says
Wow! Just spectacular! I can’t beleive it’s vegan too.
Thanks for sharing
Julie
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
What a beautiful cake! Those flavors make me ready for Spring and warm weather!