Vegan Daisy Cake

This simple vegan daisy cake makes the perfect birthday cake or centrepiece for Mother’s Day. This 6 inch layer cake is made with a zesty lemon cake and finished with a floral lavender buttercream making it the ideal dairy free cake for spring or to simply bring those warm spring vibes to your event.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 30

Chill Time 3

Total Time 5

Servings servings

Calories 665kcal

Author Sally

Equipment

Ingredients

For the vegan lemon cake:

1 ¾ cups plain flour/all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
¾ cup white sugar/granulated sugar
⅓ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup lemon
¾ cup dairy free milk

For the lavender buttercream:

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
2 tablespoon dairy free milk
180 grams dairy-free butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 cups icing sugar
Pinch salt
gel food colouring violet and yellow

Instructions

Make the lemon cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line the base of three 6 inch round cake pans with baking paper and a light spray of cooking oil.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the white sugar, canola oil, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with the dairy free milk until the cake batter just comes together, being careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter between the three prepared pans and place into the oven for 25 minutes or until the cakes are golden and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Place the cooled cakes in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to chill before assembling the cake.
Make the lavender buttercream: Mix the culinary lavender with the dairy free milk and leave to infuse in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Strain before using and discard the lavender, keeping the infused milk.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, beat dairy-free butter and vanilla for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Add in 3 cups of icing sugar and beat on medium until combined. Add in an additional cup of icing sugar and continue to mix. As mixture thickens, add in the infused dairy free milk a little at a time until you reach a thick, creamy consistency. If the frosting is too thin or tastes too 'buttery', add in an extra ½-1 cup of icing sugar, and if it’s too thick, add a little bit more dairy free milk. Finally add a pinch of salt to taste.
Remove approximately 1 cup of buttercream and set aside before adding a few drops of food colouring to the main batch to tint it a soft purple colour and mix until super creamy. Take ¼ of the reserved white buttercream and place in a small bowl with some yellow food colouring and mix well until you have a bright yellow colour.
Assemble the cake: Start by placing the first cake layer on a plate or stand, using a small amount of buttercream to secure it. Spread lavender buttercream on top of the first layer, then add the second layer upside down. Repeat with more buttercream and the final layer, also upside down to make the top flat.
Using a piping bag with the tip cut off, add buttercream to the top of the cake and smooth it with a spatula. Pipe more buttercream around the sides of the cake and use the spatula to smooth it out. Use a cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Add another layer of lavender buttercream to the top and sides of the chilled cake to achieve a smooth result and complete coverage. Smoothing the outside of the cake with the scraper. Swipe excess buttercream from the top edges toward the centre of the cake to create sharp edges. Repeat until satisfied with the finish, then chill the cake for another 30 minutes before piping the daisies.
Decorate the cake: Place the white buttercream into a piping bag with the Wilton 104 tip attached, and the yellow buttercream into another piping page with the Wilton 10 tip.
Hold the piping bag so that the 104 tip is parallel to the side of the cake with the larger part of the opening the outside tip of each daisy petal and the smaller part of the opening is the middle. Pipe petals in a circular motion to resemble a flower and then add dots of the yellow buttercream into the centre. Repeat and decorate the top and sides of the cake with as many daisies as you like.
Let the cake chill in the fridge for another hour to set the buttercream before serving to ensure a nice clean cut.

Notes

This cake will serve 8-10 people.

Nutrition