We enjoyed this cake with a store-bought vegan whipped topping, but I am sure that vanilla ice cream would be just as good. I tend to choose full-fat whipped toppings on the rare occasion when I buy commercial ones – they’re not quite as artificial-tasting as the lighter versions. My favorite right now is GoGreen Vispi, an oat-based product that is available at least in Finland and Sweden.

The Wet:

• 2 dl plain soy yoghurt
• 1 large lime, juiced and zested (1/2 dl juice, 1 tablespoon zest)
• 1/2 dl canola oil

The Dry:

• 2 dl almonds, ground into 3 dl almond meal
• 1 dl white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 dl gram (chick pea flour)
• 2 dl sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• pinch of salt

The Topping:

• 1 dl slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy milk
• pinch of salt

To Serve:

• vegan whipped topping (we had GoGreen Vispi)
• 1/2 vanilla bean

The batter was as straightforwards as can be – I mixed the wet and the dry separately and then combined, stirring with a fork. I also stirred the topping ingredients gently together (I didn’t want to mash the slivers), then poured the batter in the baking pan and sprinkled with the topping. For an even coating, you might want to double the amount of topping.

Then I baked the cake for 25 minutes in 200 degrees Celsius, until the edges were nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out with just a few crumbs. I let the cake cool to room temperature, and served with vanilla whipped cream. For the cream, I just scraped the seeds from half a vanilla bean with the tip of a sharp knife, and added that to the commercial vegan whipping cream as I was whipping it.

This is the first time I’ve used olive oil in sweet baked goods, and will definitely be doing that more often from now on. The taste wasn’t overpowering by any means, there was just a hint of the olive goodness hiding somewhere amongst all the apples. I really liked how the top (or, eventually, the bottom) of the cake came out a little crunchy, which is a nice contrast with the moist cakey insides and the fruity topping. The photo is a bit yellowish because of the progressing lack of light in Helsinki, but I guess it’s best to get used to that…

The Cake Batter:

• 1 dl olive oil
• 2 and 1/2 dl sugar
• 2 dl plain soy yoghurt
• 1 dl wheat flour
• 2 and 1/2 dl whole wheat flour
• 3/4 dl coarsely ground almonds
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 dl grated apples

Topping:

• 5 small apples, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Before starting with the batter, I set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, grated the apples, and greased a round glass baking dish with a little margarine.

I started with the topping. I sliced 5 small apples, placed them in a mixing bowl, and stirred in the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Then I poured the slices in the baking dish and arranged them so that they covered the bottom and the sides of the pan.

To make the batter, I first whisked together the olive oil, sugar, and soy yogurt until the mixture was smooth. Then I mixed the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a separate bowl, and added them to the liquids. I whisked the batter until there were no large lumps and then stirred in the grated apple. Now, I poured the batter in the baking dish over the apples.

Then I baked the cake on the lowest rack of our oven for 55 minutes, until it was well browned, and came off the sides of the baking dish. After baking, I let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then inverted the cake on a surface covered with baking parchment. We enjoyed the first slices with some vanilla ice cream, but I think that this cake is just as delicious on its own.

Rhubarb is very tart, hence the generous amount of sugar in the filling. I also recommend drinking a glass of calcium-enriched vegan milk with this pie, since rhubarb might steal the calcium from your body if you don’t. This recipe makes a lot of cake, enough for 10 helpings I’d say.

The Filling:

• 4 large rhubard stalks (about 6-7 dl sliced rhubarb)
• 4-5 dl (frozen) strawberries
• 2 dl sugar
• 3 and 1/2 tablespoons potato starch
• grated zest of 1 lemon

The Cake:

• 200 g margarine
• 2 dl sugar
• 2 and 1/2 dl soy yogurt
• 5 and 1/2 dl wheat flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

The Crumb Topping:

• 1 dl rolled oats
• 1 dl wheat flour
• 1/2 dl sugar
• 1/2 dl liquid margarine

First, I prepped the rhubarb: peeled the skin and sliced it very thinly. Then I mixed all the filling ingredients and set aside while making the cake and the batter.

For the cake, I first whisked together the soy yogurt, margarine, and sugar. The result will be grainy, but that’s okay. Then I mixed the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, added this to the wet, and stirred with a fork until combined. The batter is relatively stiff as far as cake batters go.

Then I proceeded to make the topping by mixing everything together with a fork.

Now, I covered our (20 X 30 cm) baking dish with parchment paper, making sure there was enough paper to cover the sides of the dish as well, because this cake will rise a lot in the oven. Then I spread the cake batter in the bottom of the pan, poured the fruit filling over it, and sprinkled the crumbles on top.

Then I baked in 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted came out clean, and the crumb topping had browned nicely. We served the cake with vanilla soy ice cream.

No doubt, this sauce would work wonders with soy ice cream too. A little bit of salt is what really makes it so delectable – salt somehow enhances the chocolate aroma and lets all the other flavors shine. Both the cake and the sauce were a breeze to make as well, and I have a feeling that we’ll be resorting to the sauce recipe in our future chocolate sauce needs, with or without the addition of peppermint extract.

The Mint Chocolate Cake:

This cake only has a mild cocoa flavor, which could be boosted with a little bit of melted chocolate in the batter. The texture of the cake was quite nice, and I think this would be a good recipe to use as a base for a layered cake.

Wet mix:

• 2 and 1/2 dl plain soy yogurt
• 3/4 dl sweetened, plain soy milk
• 2 and 1/2 dl confectioner’s sugar
• 1 dl canola oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 4 teaspoons vanilla sugar

Dry mix:

• 3 dl wheat flour
• 1 dl cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

First, I preheated our oven to 175 Celsius, and prepared my 22 cm wide, round cake pan with margarine and cocoa powder.

For the batter, I first whisked the wet mix together, and then combined the ingredients of the dry mix in a separate bowl. Then I poured the dry mix in the wet mix and stirred with a wooden fork, mixing only enough to combine. A few small lumps remained, but they melted away during baking.

I poured the batter in my prepared cake pan and baked it for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out clean. Then I let the cake cool down in the cake pan for about an hour or so. The cake itself was actually more delicious on the next day, after being chilled overnight, but we did serve it on the day of baking with the warm chocolate sauce.

The Mint Chocolate Sauce:

• 1 dl plain, sweetened soy milk
• 65 g semi dark vegan chocolate
• 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

First, I whisked the soy milk and the syrup together in a small cooking pot, and heated the mixture up until it started to get very bubbly, whisking all the time. When the bubbles reached the rim of the cooking pot, I removed the sauce from heat, and let it come down. Then I repeated the heating and cooling process two more times, until the sauce had thickened a little bit, but was still liquidy, and then removed the pot from heat. This all took maybe about a minute and a half. Now, I added the chocolate squares, the mint extract, and the salt, and whisked until the chocolate had melted and the sauce was smooth and shiny.

This recipe makes enough sauce to drown 4 slices of cake.

I love lemons and the combination of tangy and sweet in this cake, but a vegan cream cheese frosting goes extremely well with this as well. I make it by just mixing a package of soy cream cheese with lemon juice and grated zest, and then add some confectioner’s sugar in the mix.

The Wet Mix:

• 1 and 1/2 dl plain soy yogurt
• 1 dl canola oil
• 2 dl muscovado sugar
• 4 dl finely grated carrots
• 2 tablespoons finely ground flaxseed
• 1 dl soy milk

The Dry Mix:

• 2 dl spelt flour
• 1 dl wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 dl walnuts, coarsely ground

I mixed the wet and the dry mixes in separate bowls, and then combined the two. Then I covered a rectangular baking dish, about 30 cm x 20cm, with baking parchment, poured the batter in the dish, evened the surface, and baked the cake in 225 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

NOTE: The cake might need to bake a little longer, up to 30 minutes – some bloggers have found the cake too moist with 20 minutes’ baking time.

The Icing:

• 2 tablespoons plain soy yogurt
• juice and grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 3 to 4 dl confectioner’s sugar

I whisked together the yogurt, lemon juice, and zest, and then added enough sugar to create a relatively runny icing. The I waited until the cake had completely cooled, and poured the icing over the cake, leveling it with a butter knife. I let the icing dry up in the room temperature for a few hours before serving.

This cake was especially good right after baking, steeped in the raspberry sauce, but went well on its own with a cup of tea on the next day as well.

Wet Mix:

• 4 dl coconut milk (one can)
• 2 dl sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur

Dry Mix:

• 3 and 1/2 dl wheat flour
• 1/2 dl potato starch
• 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• pinch of turmeric (for color)
• pinch of salt

Also Needed:

• 2 dl cubed apricots (from a can)
• margarine and desiccated coconut for the cake pan

First, I preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, and took the raspberries out of the freezer.

Then I poured the sugar and the coconut milk in the bowl, and let the sugar melt while I greased the cake pan and covered it with desiccated coconut.

I mixed the dry mix in another bowl, cubed the apricots, and added the rest of the wet mix ingredients in the coconut milk bowl. Now, I combined the wet with the dry mix and stirred until the batter was relatively smooth, added the apricots, and poured the batter in the prepared cake pan. I baked the cake for approximately one hour, until a toothpick inserted came out clean.

Raspberry Sauce:

• 2 and 1/2 dl frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup

I pressed the raspberries through a fine sieve with the help of a table spoon until only the seeds remained in the sieve. Then I mixed in the agave syrup and refrigerated the sauce until the cake had cooled down a bit. There was just enough sauce to drown two big slices of the cake. Fresh raspberries would probably make an even more delicious sauce, but we are months away from those!

Happy Valentine’s to everyone from me and Heikki!

As the mint flavoring I used crushed mint chocolate candies, more specifically a product called Marianne Crush from Fazer. It saved me from crushing the candies myself, and those candies come in wrappers, so it’s actually even more ecological to use the crushed ones. Marianne is essentially a candy cane candy with a heart of chocolate.

Mint Chocolate Cake:

• 1 dl plain soy yogurt
• 1 dl water
• 1/2 dl liquid vegan margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 dl sugar
• 1 and 1/2 dl crushed mint chocolate candies
• 2 and 1/2 dl wheat flour
• 1 dl cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

To make the batter, I mixed the liquid ingredients (soy yogurt through apple cider vinegar) in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Then I combined the two and mixed with a wooden fork until combined. Now, I greased and floured a rectangular (23 cm X 15 cm) glass oven pan, spooned the batter in it, and baked the cake in 175 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. Then I let the cake cool down completely before cutting it.

I first sliced the cake in two layers with a sharp knife. It is easiest to first cut around the edges, and then cut the whole cake along those lines. The edges are a little crusty, and the first cut steers the knife through the cake to make two even layers.

I cut off thin slices around the sides of the cake layers to get rid of the crusty parts, and since my baking dish had rounded corners, this also shaped my layers rectangular. Now, I cut each layer in 8 small squares.

Mint Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 package firm silken tofu (we had Mori-Nu)
• 1 dl confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 dl agave syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 dl cashew nuts, lightly toasted and finely ground
• 200 g vegan chocolate, melted
• 1 dl crushed mint chocolate candies

I first mixed the tofu, sugar, agave syrup, and cashew nuts with my immersion blender until the mixture was completely smooth. This took maybe 5 minutes or so, and when I tasted the mixture, I got a little worried: it tasted like tofu. Very sweet, but still had the bitter vacuum-packed tofu taste. I poured in the crushed mint candy, blended for a few minutes, and the tofu magic happened: no taste of tofu, but instead a perfectly creamy mint-chocolatey flavor.

I melted the chocolate in water bath (like I did with the Chocolate Raspberry cake), poured it in the bowl, and whipped the frosting until it got a little fluffier and lighter in color. Then I refrigerated it until the cake had cooled down enough to be filled and frosted.

Assembling the cakes:

I spread each little layer with some of the frosting, and then piled three little squares to make five small layered cakes. There was one little square left over. Now, I spread more frosting up the sides of the cakes, and sprinkled them with crushed mint candy and chocolate shavings. Then we shared one little cake with Heikki, and refrigerated the rest.

Some people prefer their cakes moistened with Punsch, but most use rum or almond extract as a flavoring instead. As with any traditional recipe, there are numerous variations of the Runeberg’s Cake – some make theirs with ginger bread crumbs, and most use almonds in some form; some want their cakes very moist, and some prefer a crumbly cake. Most recipes have twice as much margarine or butter as my recipe, but I wanted to make a lighter cake, so we could eat several of them!

My Runeberg’s cakes include things I found in the cupboard yesterday evening: digestive cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, ground almonds, almond extract, and hazelnut-almond rice milk. We couldn’t resist having a bite of these yesterday evening, but the real treat was at the breakfast today, when the flavors had developed in the fridge overnight. The texture is quite crumbly, since I don’t like my cakes too moist, but the moistness is easily adjusted by the amount of liquid infused in the cakes after baking. This recipe makes exactly 12 cakes.

Dry Mix:

• 2 and 1/2 dl ground cookies (we had digestives)
• 2 and 1/2 dl wheat flour
• 2 dl bread crumbs
• 1 dl ground almonds (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• pinch each: cinnamon, cardamom, dried ginger

Wet Mix:

• 1/2 dl dark syrup
• 1/2 dl sugar
• 1 dl liquid margarine (or melted margarine)
• 1 and 1/2 dl soy yogurt (plain, unsweetened)
• 1 dl hazelnut-almond rice milk (or other vegan milk)
• a few drops of almond extract (not more!)

Moistening:

• about 2 dl hazelnut-almond rice milk (or other vegan milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Decoration:

• 2 and 1/2 dl confectioner’s sugar
• a few teaspoons orange juice (or water, or soy milk)
• raspberry jam

I made the cake batter like a muffin batter: mixed wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then combined the two, and mixed just enough to combine. Now, I greased and floured my muffin tin, and spooned the batter in the cups. I leveled the surface of each cake, and then baked the cakes in 175 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, until they were a little browned over the tops.

After the cakes had cooled down a little bit, I removed them from the tin, and moistened them with rice milk flavored with rum extract. I spread the milk over the cakes with a teaspoon and let them infuse all of it. Some people just make a mixture of rum, water, and sugar to moisten their cakes, some use additional almond extract in this. More liquid can be used to make moister cakes.

I made the icing as thick as possible, first adding just enough liquid in the confectioner’s sugar to produce a crumbly paste, and then adding some more drop by drop until the consistency was just thin enough for piping. I placed a dollop of raspberry jam in the middle of each cake, and then piped a circle of white sugar icing around the tops of the cakes. Now, I leveled the jam to make it coat the whole cake. After having a test bite with Heikki, I refrigerated the rest of the cakes until the next day.

This cake was our dessert on Christmas eve, along with a refreshing citrus fuit salad. The fragrance that came from the oven during baking was intoxicating, and the cake itself didn’t let us down; it was sweet and moist and delicious, with just enough spice and a decadent accent of cognac from the icing.

We had fresh dates for the cake, but they looked and tasted a lot like the regular dried dates. Maybe they weren’t quite as sweet, and probably a little moister, but I think the dried variety would work very well in this cake.

For the cake, I used:

• 300 g cranberry soy yogurt
• 100 g plain soy yogurt
• 1,5 dl dark syrup
• 100 g plum jam
• 2 dl vegan margarine, liquid or melted
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 4 dl wheat flour
• 150 g fresh dates, chopped

Icing:

• 1 tablespoon cognac
• 1 dl confectioner’s sugar

Decoration:

• a couple of fresh dates
• a pink peppercorn
• some cinnamon

To make the cake batter, I just mixed the liquid ingredients (soy yogurts through margarine) in one bowl, and the dry ingredients (cinnamon through wheat flour) in another. I combined the two, mixed just enough to create a smooth batter, and then folded in the chopped dates. Now, I poured the batter in a greased and floured, round cake pan, and baked the cake in 200 degress Celsius for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out clean.

I let the cake cool down for a few hours after baking, and then decorated it. I mixed the icing ingredients with a fork, and drizzled the icing over the cake. Then I chopped a few dates, and decorated the cake with them, forming a flower in the center with a pink pepper corn surrounded by date petals.

I made a few alterations to the original recipe, but I think that soy yogurt and confectioner’s sugar are the key to the perfectly moist and soft texture of this cake. Here’s my version:

Wet mix:

• 2 and 1/2 dl plain soy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• 2 and 1/2 dl confectioner’s sugar
• 1 dl liquid vegan margarine (or vegetable oil)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marniér liqueur

Dry mix:

• 3 and 1/2 dl wheat flour
• 1/2 dl almond meal (finely ground almonds)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

First, I preheated our oven to 175 Celsius, and prepared my 22 cm wide, round cake pan with margarine and bread crumbs.

For the batter, I first whisked the wet mix together, and then combined the ingredients of the dry mix in a separate bowl. Then I poured the dry mix in the wet mix and stirred with a wooden fork, mixing only enough to combine.

I poured the batter in my prepared cake pan and baked it for 30 minutes, when a toothpick inserted in the center came out clean. Now, I let the cake cool down completely, for about 2 hours, then iced the cake, and refrigerated it for a few more hours.

Simple Lime Icing:

• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 and 1/2 dl confectioner’s sugar

I poured the lime juice in a small bowl, and then stirred with a fork while adding enough confectioner’s sugar to make a relatively thick mixture. Then I spread the icing on the cooled cake, sprinkled with some grated lemon zest, and refrigerated the cake for a few hours.