VeganMoFo2019 Day 16: Champagne Celebration!

NAILED IT!

I shot a video for  you today because today is a day I want to remember. Today we reopened our business after being closed almost exactly 2 years from Hurricane Irma. It wasn't until about 6:30pm tonight that I decided if I wasn't going to drink myself into oblivion with champagne, I'll eat myself into oblivion with champagne cake. I found this recipe online and whipped it up. Friends, I am not steering you wrong, MAKE THIS CAKE! The frosting is some of the fluffiest, most delicious I've ever tasted and I do not even like cooked fruit. The cake has a faint flavor of champagne, the texture is superb. Here's my video, if you scroll past the video, you'll see the recipe typed out, with the credit to the author.

Champagne Cake w/Roasted Blueberry Frosting

Recipe Courtesy of: Potluck.OhMyVeggies.com

Author: Emily Fraser

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CAKE: 

3/4 cup vegan champagne (confirm it's vegan with the Barnivore app or the site)

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)

1t lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup plus 2T neutral oil (I used safflower)

2t vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

3T starch (I used arrowroot)

3/4t baking soda

1t baking powder

1/2t salt

FOR THE FROSTING:

1/2 cup fresh blueberries, pureed (I deviated, see my notes at the end)

3/4 cup vegan butter (Miyoko's for palm free, or Earth Balance)

3/4 cup shortening or additional butter (I used Nutiva brand)

4 - 4.5 cups powdered sugar (I used 4)

2t vanilla extract

1/8 cup non-dairy milk (I omitted/did not need)

FOR THE ROASTED BLUEBERRIES

2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen wild blueberries)

PREP:

Grease/line 3 6" pans (I used Vegelene, and parchment)

ROAST THE BLUEBERRIES:

Preheat oven to 425 (400 for convection). Place blueberries in an oven safe dish in a single layer and sprinkle w/sugar. Roast in oven for 7-9 minutes til juices have been released (I gave mine 10 because they were frozen). Let cool.

MAKE THE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for convection). In a bowl, combine the champagne, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, oil, vanilla and sugar. Stir til sugar is dissolved.

In another bowl, sift together your dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir gently to combine. Pour evenly into your 3 pans. Bake 24-27 minutes, test for doneness with toothpick (mine took 20 minutes exactly). Cool completely before frosting.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

Pulse the 1/2 cup fresh blueberries in a food processor til pureed, leave chunky if desired. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine vegan butter & shortening until fluffy. Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar and blueberry puree. Beat until combined, streaming in milk if necessary to get desired consistency.

Assemble by placing a cake layer, drizzling on some of the blueberry juices, spreading some frosting, then sprinkling w/a third of the roasted blueberries. Repeat with other 2 layers. If fully frosting the cake, be sure to form a dam with the frosting before sprinkling the berries so they do not spill out the side.

MY NOTES: I did not use the 1/2 cup fresh blueberries for the frosting. Instead, I measured about 1/3 cup from the roasted blueberries, squeezed out the juice, and added that to my frosting. I sprinkled a scant amount of the remaining blueberries in between the layers and pressed them into the frosting before adding each layer. No dam needed. You do you, I didn't want a bunch of fruit flying around in my cake when it's over 90 degrees around here. I planned on giving this cake away. The other happy vegan has given express directions this cake does not leave the house. I have to admit, this is one of the best cakes I've made in ages. Highly recommend. Thanks Emily Fraser for this recipe, you're a genius!

We still have a long road to walk down here, our house is still a sad vacant lot, but today is one for the books in the best way possible. The Universe smiled so much, even my cake couldn't be any better.

Cake on, vegan style.

xo