VEGAN Autumn gingerbread spiced Bundt cake with lime glaze and caramelised walnuts
Summer has dipped. It's officially feeling like Autumn outside! And what better way to welcome Miss Autumn than to bake a cake in her honour. Summer this year was very much like me at a party (didn't stay long, contributed nothing and couldn't wait to leave). This cake is giving me Autumn flavours with the caramelised nuts, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon, but also desperately clinging onto those last days of Summer with the zesty lime icing. She's a lot of fun to bake in the Bundt tin*, but she would be equally as lovely in a loaf tin or a standard circle cake tin (just reduce the quantity by 1/3).
This went down really well when I made it for a party with my gym pals. Lou, (who does not like gingerbread, and is also the most brutally honest person I have ever met in my life), said that it was proper banging. If that doesn't convince you that this is my best cake to date, I don't know what will.
(*This recipe is for a 12 cup Bundt tin!)
Ingredients:
225g vegan butter (I used an unsalted block of vegan butter)
300g golden syrup
80g treacle
130g brown sugar (you can use light or dark)
240ml water
500g plain flour
2tsp bicarbonate soda
2tbsp ground ginger
1/2tsp cinnamon *optional
1/2tsp nutmeg *optional
2.5tsp ground mixed spice
Pinch of salt
Icing:
1 lime (zest and juice)
300g icing sugar
Caramelised walnuts:
6-8 walnuts
70g sugar
Pinch of salt
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
Thoroughly grease your tin with vegan butter / neutral oil – if you are using a Bundt tin it can be useful to get a pastry brush to really get into all of the nooks and crannies.
Place the vegan butter, golden syrup, treacle, brown sugar and water in a pan and heat gently, stirring often, until melted and smooth.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
While that cools, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
After the 10 minutes are up, pour in the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Top tip: really be careful not to over-mix it, as this can make the cake a little tough.
As soon as it is mixed, pour the batter into the prepared tin and place it in the centre of the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (top tip: because the batter is warm the bicarbonate of soda starts working immediately so it is important to get it in the oven straight away.)
Once baked, place the tin on a wire rack and leave the cake to cool in the tin for at least a couple of hours. This is where you need to exercise the art of patience, because if you try to manoeuvre the cake before it's cool, it will fall apart. And then you may fall apart, because all your efforts have crumbled in front of you. And we do not want that. So go for a walk, whack on a film or listen to a podcast whilst you wait for it to cool. OR, make your caramelised walnuts!
For the caramelised walnuts: add the sugar into a pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring regularly. Once the sugar has melted and looks like golden syrup, throw your walnuts in and stir them. Quickly tip them onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and sprinkle over the salt. Leave them to the side. (please go careful with this step: the sugar will get molten hot and can burn you if you aren't careful)
Once the tin is cool to the touch, carefully flip it over to release the cake. You may need to gently scrape down the sides if it is sticking slightly.
To make the lime glaze, sieve your icing sugar in a bowl. Zest the lime and keep the zest to the side. Gradually stir in the lime juice to make a thick glaze. You may not need to use all of the lime juice or you may need to add a drop of water to get it pourable.
Place the cake on a serving platter and drizzle over the glaze. Add the lime zest and place the caramelised walnuts on top.
Enjoy!
Love, Soph x
I hope you love this recipe. Please let me know if you make it and tag me/send me any pictures of your creations! (@slaudus_eats) Feedback is always appreciated!