Mabuhay: Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake w/ Lemon Curd Filling

Lea, my cousin from the Philippines, was finally able to vacay and spend some time with our family in San Francisco.  She has been so sweet with her comments of my cakes on Facebook, and I was looking forward to making a cake for her visit.  Lea liked Percy's lemon birthday cake, so I thought I'd make her a gluten-free version.  This allowed me the opportunity to try my hand at a vanilla flavored gluten-free cake.

I've been wary to bake a gluten-free vanilla cake due to its simplicity in flavor.  Chocolate is safe with its ability to overpower any flavors from the gluten-free flours.  I wasn't sure if my vanilla cake would end up tasting like rice flour.  Luckily, it didn't, and the cake was just as moist and delicious as the wheat version.

The cake baked successfully on the first try.  But as always, I ran into trouble when Whole Foods didn't have my regular shortening in stock and I had to use another brand.  Frosting and decorating the cake was no easy task with a humid kitchen and a product I wasn't used to working with.  But in the end, what really matters is the taste.  The Vegan gluten-free vanilla cake with lemon curd and vanilla frosting was a hit.  I hope you give it a try.
 

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

 

Dry Ingredients:  1 1/2 cup (240g) Superfine Rice Flour 1/2 cup (60g) Potato Starch 1/4 cup (30g) Tapioca Flour 1/2 tsp Guar Gum 1/4 cup (30g) Corn Starch 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients:  1 3/4 cup Soy Milk + 2 tsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar 2/3 cup Canola Oil 1 1/2 (12 oz) cup Sugar 1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce 4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 320ºF.  Add vinegar to soy milk and reserve.  Sift together dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Pour oil and sugar into a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk until well incorporated.  Whisk in soy milk, applesauce and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Pour into two 9-inch cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool.

Lemon Curd Filling 

1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbs Corn Starch
Zest of 1 Lemon
Pinch Sea Salt
2 tbs Powdered Soy Milk
1 tbs Margarine

Whisk all ingredients except powdered soy milk and margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  When it comes to a boil, stop whisking and allow to boil for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in powdered soy milk and margarine.  Place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid skin being formed.  Let cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine

1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening

3 cups Powdered Sugar

3 tbs Soy Milk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar in stages.  Lastly, mix in soymilk and vanilla.