Vegan Orange and Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

To celebrate Veggieful's 1st birthday today, Jerome and I would love to share with you one of our most favourite cakes! This is an amazingly delicious vegan Orange and Poppy Seed cake that is not only mouthwateringly tasty but is also incredibly light and fluffy. It is so beautiful that I can guarantee you won't believe it is vegan or that you made it. Oh my... just talking about it makes me want to eat a piece. The orange "buttercream" adds a delicious creaminess to the cake and another citrusy orangey element. The optional "buttercream" recipe makes more than enough so you can add more or less as needed. You can freeze any remaining cream for future use. So, I really hope that you enjoy this cake as much as we do and I am sure that your guests will love it. I also want to thank all of our Veggieful followers for your unconditional support over Veggieful's first year. So many amazing things have happened and I can't wait to see the progress in the years to come. Enjoy! 

serves 8

Cake Mixture:

   2 cups self-raising flour
   1/4 cup margarine, at room temp.
   1 cup caster sugar
   1 cup Soy Milky Lite
   1/4 cup orange juice
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1/4 cup poppy seeds
   1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

Orange "Buttercream" (optional):

   ¾ cup margarine, at room temp.
   ¾ cup icing sugar
   2 ½ tablespoons orange juice
   1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1/8 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced (356 F) and lightly oil a cake tin.
2. Make the cake mixture by adding the flour, margarine, sugar, soymilk, orange juice and vanilla extract to a bowl.
3. Beat for one minute or so until creamy and fluffy (preferably with electric beaters).
4. Add in the poppy seeds and orange rind and mix until evenly distributed.
5. Pour the cake mixture into the oiled cake tin.
6. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until browned on top and a skewer comes out clean when poked into the centre of the cake.
7. Allow to cool completely.
8. In meantime, make the orange "buttercream" by adding all "buttercream" ingredients to a small bowl and beating until fluffy and creamy.
9. Once the cake has completely cool, cut as desired. If you want to add a middle cream layer, use a serrated knife to cut the cake in half and add cream between the layers. On the other hand, just add cream to the top of the cake. If you just cream the top of the cake, the slices will look neater when cut and keep its shape better. Your choice!
10. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!

• The "buttercream" recipe will make more than enough cream. Just add as much as you need. You can always freeze any remaining "buttercream". 

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline and does not include "optional" ingredients.