We’re officially kicking off the Easter recipes over here, starting with this Easter Nectarine layer cake! A simple, vanilla sponge layer cake filled with a delicious home made nectarine jam and lathered in ‘speckled egg’ buttercream frosting. Oh, and the entire recipe is completely plant based!
Nectarines are one of my favourite fruits, so I’m always excited to make the most of them when they’re in season! This was actually my first experience trying a nectarine jam and I was very pleasantly surprised! They’re naturally sweet and add a deliciously vibrant hit of fruity flavour to this cake.
What will you need to make this Easter nectarine layer cake:
- Olive oil: I almost always use olive oil when baking. It’s a great dairy free alternative to butter and also helps to create a really light and fluffy sponge cake.
- Caster sugar: this recipe calls for golden caster sugar. I always try and find an unrefined caster sugar when possible.
- Self raising flour: you will need self raising flour for this recipe, in order to get a nicely risen sponge. I haven’t personally tested this recipe with a GF flour blend, so can’t guarantee that this would work the same.
- Nectarines: You may have guessed this one from the title. You will need a punnet of fresh, ripe nectarines to make the filling and topping of this cake.
- Non dairy stick butter: Now, this is crucial for creating the ultimate vegan buttercream frosting. It’s important to opt for a stick butter variety rather than a spread, as this will create a far creamier frosting.
- Icing sugar: You will need 2 cups of icing sugar to make the buttercream frosting.
- Blue spirulina or blue food colouring: I love using natural alternatives to food colourings where possible and blue spirulina is an incredible option! It’s so vibrant in colour and doesn’t impact the taste of your icing. You could also use a vegan friendly food colouring.
- Dark chocolate: To create the speckled egg design, you will need to stir chopped dark chocolate into the buttercream.
Why you should make this Easter cake
- Simple to make and so delicious!
- It’s completely plant based
- The perfect Easter celebration cake
- Includes a fair few helpings of fresh fruit… which therefore makes it healthy, right?!
Vegan Easter Nectarine Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light & mild olive oil
- 1 cup golden caster sugar
- 2 cup self raising flour
- 1 cup non dairy milk (oat, soy or almond)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- dash vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp bicarb
- pinch salt
Frosting
- 1 cup vegan stick butter
- 2 cup icing sugar
- 1/3 tsp blue spirulina (can sub for vegan blue food colouring as needed)
Jam/compote
- 3 ripe nectarines
- 1-2 tsp caster sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180c and line two 16cm cake tins with baking paper.
- Add the apple cider vinegar to your milk and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together the sugar and olive oil until pale and fluffy, then whisk in your milk mixture. Sift in the dry ingredients and fold these into the wet mixture until fully combined.
- Divide your batter between the two cake tins and place these into the oven to bake for 35 minutes and a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the nectarine jam, de-stone and slice your necatrines and add these to a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring the heat to medium and leave these to stew and soften. Add sugar to taste.
- For the frosting, use an electric whisk to beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the icing sugar whilst whisking and then your food colouring/blue spirulina.To create the speckled egg appearance, gently fold in yout chopped dark chocolate.
- Assemble your cake by piping a ring of frosting around the edge of one of your sponge layers and fill the centre with your nectarine compote. Place the second cake on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the entire cake. Decorate with some extra nevcatrine slices and mini Easter eggs!
