Fresh Strawberry & Vanilla Layer Cake

Ingredients

RSF

2 hrs

16

Cake

• 225g coconut oil or good quality butter
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup rice malt syrup
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla powder or extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2½ cups stone ground sifted spelt flour
• ½ cup almond meal
• 1 tbs baking powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2½ cups strawberries, finely chopped

Frosting (if using)

• 750g mascarpone
• 1½ cups thick natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla powder or extract
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup 
• 1½ cups strawberries, finely chopped 

Strawberry Syrup (if using)

• 1 cup strawberries, whole with green tops removed
• 2 tbs pure maple syrup 
• 1 tsp vanilla powder or extract

Method

Cake

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Grease and line four 22cm cake tins (I used sponge cake tins). You could also use one large spring form pan if you’re not layering the cake.
3. Cream coconut oil (or butter) with the maple, rice malt syrup and coconut sugar until smooth.
4. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well.
5. Fold through the spelt flour, almond meal, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.
6. Gently mix through the almond milk until the mixture is smooth.
7. Fold the strawberries into the mixture.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tins and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
9. ​Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. I like to put them into the fridge or freezer for a few hours just to make sure the cakes are completely cold. This step is only important if creating a layer cake. If you are making one large tea cake, serve warm with fresh cream or yoghurt.

Frosting (if using)

1. Add the mascarpone into a large bowl and gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth. DON’T use an electric or hand held mixer for this. The mascarpone will most likely curdle and we don't want that!
2. Add the yoghurt, maple and vanilla and gently stir until smooth.
3. Remove about one third of the mascarpone mixture and place into a separate bowl.
4. Add the strawberries to the smaller amount of mascarpone and stir through.
5. ​Set aside.

Strawberry Syrup (if using)

1. Add a cup of strawberries to a small pot with maple syrup and vanilla. 
2. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. 
3. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture becomes a little like jam. 
4. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. 
5. Once cool, blend into a smooth paste (I used my ‘NutriBullet’ but any blender or food processor should work).

To Assemble the Cake

1. Now the fun begins. Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate or cake stand.
2. Scoop about 4 large tablespoons of the strawberry mascarpone mixture into the middle of the cake layer and smooth out to the edges with the back of a spoon.
3. Add the second layer onto the cake and repeat the previous step until the final cake layer is on top.
4. Spread the vanilla mascarpone mixture around and on top of the cake, smoothing with a cake palette knife.
5. ​Pour the strawberry syrup over the cake and decorate with fresh strawberries and flowers. Enjoy!

*The four layers can be quite filling so I find it's best to slice the cake into small pieces before serving. If you’re after a smaller cake then try baking it in one large spring form pan and then serve it warm as a tea cake with fresh cream or yoghurt.

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