I am wildly inspired by The Squeaky Mixer’s designed sponge cakes –
wildly.
But applying Maddison Koutrouba’s formula and techniques to a plant-based batter was no small task. After failing to veganize conventional recipes, I conducted a review of vegan sponge cakes seeking the ideal consistency for creating these arresting desserts. (I know, boohoo, I had to eat cake!)
Actually, some attempts were pretty sad:
Which recipe worked?
Bianca Zapatka’s Perfect Vegan Vanilla Sponge Cake was the most promising formula. Indeed, my own recipe is a close adaption of hers. thank you, Bianca!
Easy-As Cake…
…comparatively. Even with boxed mixes, cakes are projects. Yet if I had to recommend one decorating technique (beyond frosting fundamentals), I would recommend this one:
- Only basic equipment and ingredients are needed (parchment paper, nonstick cake pans, professional food coloring gels, piping bags…)
- Designs may be specific; if you can trace it – and pipe it – you can make it
Moreover, baking is closer to the last than first step of making a decorated cake. The final product, therefore, is fresher than cakes destined for frosting and/or fondant which need to be baked, chilled, and crumb-coated before anything else.
but the best part, parents? Nobody fights over the 🤬 rose. It’s easier to enforce, “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset,” when every piece has the same amount of frosting!
Basic Equipment and Ingredients
Equipment
- thick and dark pencil
- nonstick pan(s)
- piping bags
The following 3 thoughts were discouraged via experience:
1. I’ll just use a regular pencil…
This thought works until you grease your nonstick pan and drop your drawing on top. Since regular pencil lines are roughly the same color as nonstick pans, you’ll barely be able to see what you need to trace. Find yourself a thick and dark pencil!
Maddison Koutrouba (the aforementioned blogger behind The Squeaky Mixer) recommends Jewem edible markers. If you have to make a purchase, you may wish to follow her lead. Using a thick and dark pencil personally allowed me to avoid buying anything besides professional food coloring gel (more on that later).
2. I’ll use a glass pan next time…
Glass would surely allow you to see any lines! But after you pipe your design, you have to freeze it; shortly after you freeze it, you have to bake it…and putting frozen glass into a hot oven will cause it to shatter.
3. I use zip-top bags to pipe all the time…
For putting frosting on cupcakes, zip-top bags are great! But that’s not what you’re doing here.
Because they’re seamless (or virtually seamless), piping bags produce cylindrical lines. The rigid seams on the bottom and sides of zip-top bags, however, translate into ovoid lines.
Think of tracing with a calligraphy pen versus a rounded writing tool: Unless you’re constantly shifting the angle of your grip, your vertical lines will be narrower than your horizontal ones with a calligraphy pen. Piping with a zip-top bag presents a similar challenge.
Thankfully, disposable piping bags can be cheaper per piece than zip-top bags. There are too many comparable brands to link one here.
Ingredients
Two ingredients are non-negotiable:
- soy or almond milk
- professional food coloring gel
Soy or Almond Milk
Only soy or almond milk will put the “sponge” in “vegan sponge cake”. My recipe begins with vegan buttermilk which is created by thickening (or, more specifically, curdling) a non-dairy milk with an acid.
A variety of acids will curdle: apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, etc. However, only 2 non-dairy milks will be curdled: soy and almond. The protein in other “milks” just doesn’t react.
Professional Food Coloring Gel
not McCormick. With love and respect for McCormick, their food coloring gel is not intense enough for this application. Almost every time I use it, I empty an entire tube desperately trying to achieve the depth I want. But I never do – and then my dessert tastes like food coloring.
I make no money when I suggest spending money, and I never suggest spending money lightly. That said, professional food coloring gel is worth purchasing. The vibrancy of just one drop is incredible!
Even if you are making this type of cake for the first time, plan a monochromatic design and buy one tube. I guarantee you’ll be amazed! (I currently have this professional food coloring gel set from Ann Clark in my pantry, but other brands like US Cake Supply and Chefmaster are just as reputable.)
Step-by-Step Overview with Pictures
Please peruse my recipe; the following guide is merely an introduction:
1. Fit and transfer design to measured parchment.
2. Make vanilla sponge cake batter (below), then portion-out and dye batter according to number and amount of color(s) needed.
3. Pipe design upside-down inside a greased pan. Freeze pan 10 minutes, then add remaining batter.
4. Bake and flip immediately.
5. If desired, assemble once cool.
Vegan Designed Sponge Cake
Description
I recognize this process seems intimidating. I promise, it's easier than it looks!
That said, if you haven't already, I strongly advise reading the entirety of my post before your first designed cake.
My recipe makes ONE 9x13-in/23x33-cm rectangular cake, or TWO 8-in/20-cm round cakes. It may be doubled or halved as needed. Use gram and milliliter measurements if possible.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare Cake Pan.
-
Cut parchment to fit nonstick pan.
-
Choose or create a picture to fit parchment.Be realistic with your ability to pipe details.
-
Using a thick and dark pencil, trace picture onto parchment.
You may wish to employ a system (letters, numbers, etc.) or colored pencils to indicate which colors go where. -
Grease pan, then place parchment picture-side down.
Graphite is not meant to be an ingredient! Also, if your picture includes text, it needs to be backwards now to be forwards later.
Make Sponge Cake Batter.
-
Grind sugar, then set aside.
Many powdered sugars contain an unknown amount of cornstarch. Powdering your own sugar and adding a measured quantity of cornstarch ensures you have the correct ratio. -
Combine "milk" and vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk. Set aside.
-
Sift together ground sugar (from Step 1), flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
-
In a separate vessel, whisk together "buttermilk" (from Step 2), oil, and vanilla extract.
-
Stir wet into dry until uniformly mixed.
Design and Bake.
-
Make freezer room for designed cake pan, then preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
-
Using a cookie scoop, transfer portions of batter into separate vessels according to number and amount of color(s) needed.
-
Dye batter portions starting with one drop each.
Professional food coloring gel is intense! -
Transfer dyed batter to piping bags and carefully pipe.
Pay attention to layers when determining which color to pipe first/next. I also suggest warming-up your piping skills by starting with less critical details if possible. -
Freeze design 10 minutes.
-
Use cookie scoop to add remaining batter. Then, evenly spread it.
Using a cookie scoop eliminates much of the spreading you'd have to do if you simply poured your batter on top. I think pouring is too risky here, but I've honestly never tried it. -
Bake 22-27 minutes.
-
Flip immediately; peel off parchment slowly.
-
Cool completely. Meanwhile, bake bottom layer if necessary.
I like to make whacky cupcakes with leftover dyed batter. -
Finish assembly when all cake layers are room temperature or colder.
Note
This post was 6 months in the making! Read the recipe review that started it all.
I credit my inspiration and success to The Squeaky Mixer and Bianca Zapatka.
