GLUTEN FREE VEGAN FLAN CAKE

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I made a cake for my son’s birthday.  He is vegan and wanted a flan cake that I usually make with dairy and eggs.  I have made my recipe replacing eggs and diary with the usual substitutes.  When replacing just dairy the cake is fine, but when I replace the eggs it is too dense and heavy.  I decided to look for a vegan recipe for vanilla cake.  On  It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken’s blog I found a wonderful vegan vanilla cake recipe.  To make the recipe gluten free I replaced the flour with gluten free flours and some xanthan gum.  I am delighted with how the cake came out.  Light and delicious with a great texture.  I would never think it was vegan and all the guests didn’t think it tasted gluten free either.  My son loved it.  Success!
     Flan cake is a vanilla, lemon or almond flavored cake made in a special tiara pan that has a shallow bowl-like indent in the center.  After the cake is baked the center is filled with custard or whipped cream and then topped with fresh fruit.  It looks very pretty.  I forgot to take a picture of the whole cake before we cut and ate most of it.  So there are only photos of a large piece of cake, but you can get an idea of how nice it looks with all the fresh fruit on it from the photo of my other Flan Cake below. 

A Tiara Pan.

A photo of a regular GF Flan Cake to give you
 an idea of how it might look before it is cut.

     For a vegan or dairy free cake you can fill the cake with coconut whipped cream or a vegan or dairy free pudding-like filling.  My son chose the whipped cream option.  I used the whipped cream recipe from my Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie post.  You can use all different fruits or just one kind to top the cake.  I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and kiwi on this one.  Other fruits that work well are sliced grapes, bananas (tossed in some lemon or lime juice first to prevent discoloring), very ripe sliced and peeled pears, mangos, etc.  

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN FLAN CAKE

Makes one flan cake or 12 cupcakes

CAKE
Ingredients

DRY

3/4 cup/96 g	Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup/32 g	Tapioca Flour
1/4 cup/22 g	Chickpea Flour
3/4 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
3/4 cup	Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals)
1 tsp. ½ tsp.	Baking Soda Sea Salt

WET

2/3 cup	Non dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup	Canola Oil or other light flavored vegetable oil
2 Tbs.	Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp.	Vanilla Extract
1 tsp.	Almond Extract (or another tsp. of vanilla extract)

FILLING
Ingredients

1 14oz. can	Coconut Cream Chilled in the fridge for several hours or overnight - (you can also use 1-2 cans of full fat coconut milk that has been chilled, use only the solid part and reserve the liquid for another purpose)
2 Tbs.	Confectioners Sugar
1/4 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1 tsp.	Vanilla Extract

TOPPING
Ingredients
Use one kind of fruit or several different ones together.  Berries, mango, ripe peeled pears, bananas sliced and mixed with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning, kiwi, sliced grapes, etc., can be used according to what is available and to your taste. 

Directions

CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.  Prepare a tiara pan by lining it with foil and greasing and flouring the pan with some gluten free flour. (see my post for Flan Cake for details and photos) I used sorghum flour.  Set aside.  For cupcakes put paper liners in a 12-muffin tin.  Warning: the cupcakes stuck to the paper.  Next time I might try greasing and flouring the liners first or using greased and floured aluminum cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl add all the wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula or spoon until just combined.  To ensure a light cake do not over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until done.  The cake is done when it springs back when pressed gently with your finger or when a cake tester comes out clean.  If you decide to make cupcakes with this recipe bake them 18-20 minutes.
6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert the pan onto a wire rack and remove the foil.  Turn the cake right side up and allow to cool completely on the wire rack before filling.  If making cupcakes, allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then take them out of the tin to cool completely on a wire rack.

   

   Flan cake cooking on a wire rack.
   

   
   

VEGAN WHIPPED CREAM

Directions

1. Open the can of coconut cream or milk. Scrape out the solid part and reserve the liquid for another use.
2. Add the solid part of the coconut to a bowl with the sugar, vanilla and xanthan gum. 
3. Mix on the highest speed of an electric mixer until it becomes thick and soft peaks form.

   

   Vegan Whipped Cream

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

1. Place the cooled cake on a serving dish or platter.
2. Fill the center of the cake with the vegan whipped cream.
3. Decorate the cake by placing the sliced fruit on the whipped cream.

Refrigerate the cake until half an hour before serving to allow the cake to get to room temperature.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN FLAN CAKE Makes one flan cake or 12 cupcakes CAKE Ingredients DRY 3/4 cup/96 g Sorghum Flour 1/4 cup/32 g Tapioca Flour 1/4 cup/22 g Chickpea Flour 3/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum 3/4 cup Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals) 1 tsp. Baking Soda ½ tsp. Sea Salt WET 2/3 cup Non dairy milk of choice 1/3 cup Canola Oil or other light flavored vegetable oil 2 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 1 tsp. Almond Extract (or another tsp. of vanilla extract) FILLING Ingredients 1 14oz. can Coconut Cream Chilled in the fridge for several hours or overnight - (you can also use 1-2 cans of full fat coconut milk that has been chilled, use only the solid part and reserve the liquid for another purpose) 2 Tbs. Confectioners Sugar 1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract TOPPING Ingredients Use one kind of fruit or several different ones together. Berries, mango, ripe peeled pears, bananas sliced and mixed with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning, kiwi, sliced grapes, etc., can be used according to what is available and to your taste. Directions CAKE Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare a tiara pan by lining it with foil and greasing and flouring the pan with some gluten free flour. (see my post for Flan Cake for details and photos) I used sorghum flour. Set aside. For cupcakes put paper liners in a 12-muffin tin. In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Set aside. In a small bowl add all the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula or spoon until just combined. To ensure a light cake do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until done. The cake is done when it springs back when pressed gently with your finger or when a cake tester comes out clean. If you decide to make cupcakes with this recipe bake them 18-20 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert the pan onto a wire rack and remove the foil. Turn the cake right side up and allow to cool completely on the wire rack before filling. If making cupcakes, allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then take them out of the tin to cool completely on a wire rack. VEGAN WHIPPED CREAM Directions Open the can of coconut cream or milk. Scrape out the solid part and reserve the liquid for another use. 2) Add the solid part of the coconut to a bowl with the sugar, vanilla and xanthan gum.  Mix on the highest speed of an electric mixer until thick and soft peaks form. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE Place the cooled cake on a serving dish or platter. Fill the center of the cake with the vegan whipped cream. Decorate the cake by placing the sliced fruit on the whipped cream. Refrigerate the cake until half an hour before serving to allow the cake to get to room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.