For my birthday this year, I treated myself and made myself this luscious two layer Pink Lemonade Cake. Both vegan and plant-based friendly, it is dyed with natural colors. Dairy-free, egg-free but oh, not flavor-free!
Sweet & Tart Lemonade Birthday Cake
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks Earth Balance Buttery sticks, or similar
- 2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
- ½ cup warm water
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ tsp freeze-dried beet powder, divided
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- ¼ cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Directions:
Grease the bottoms of two 9″ cake pans (round or square). Cut parchment paper to fit bottoms, press in and grease paper lightly. Dust with flour and shake out any excess. Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk warm water into Ener-G until smooth, let rest. Add buttery stick to a stand mixer bowl, beat until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium until combined. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Add in Ener-G mixture slowly, a ¼ at a time, beating in, then add in half of the beet powder.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Stir together coconut milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon extract together, it will appear curdled. Alternately add flour mixture and coconut milk mixture, beating well after each addition.
Pour half of the cake batter into one of the pans, smooth out and set aside. Add the remaining beet powder and beat into batter, pour into second pan and smooth out.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with crumbs in center (but not batter). Avoid over baking.
Let cool for 15 minutes in pans, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. Let cool fully before frosting.
Pink Lemonade Frosting
Ingredients:
- 1 cup shortening, preferably non-hydrogenated
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 Tbsp frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
- Freeze-dried beet powder
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening smooth with a hand mixer. Beat in vanilla extract, and powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with the lemonade concentrate. Beat on medium until smooth.
Add in beet powder, ¼ tsp at a time, until color is achieved.
Spread as desired on cake.
Notes:
Freeze-dried beet powder (or beet juice powder) can be found online or in vitamin stores, as a supplement. It makes an all natural color, although natural red coloring (in liquid) can be used. It won’t produce a vivid red, but does make a pleasant pink.