crumbly cake !!!

[chickpea1]

hi, i've mad a couple of lovely tasty cakes recently but they are very crumbly! i am using sunflower spread, self-raising flower, baking powder and caster sugar as the main ingredients (also adding vanilla and cherries- yummy) but the cakes are very crumbly and dont cut very well. i want to make a good cake for my daughter's birthday party, - an opportunity to also show lots of mums and dads that vegan cakes are good- so the pressure's on! i havent tried making one using vegetable oil yet to see whether that makes a difference, im also considering trying maple syrup. has anyone got any suggestions? thank you !!

[Robinwomb]

I had great success with this one:

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/06/coconut-bundt-cake-moist-glazed-vegan.html

Unfortunately the measurements are all American, not metric, so I don't know how you would convert them.

I have tried only a few vegan cake recipes and usually mine come out pretty flat, but the above coconut bundt cake recipe came out very tall and full and was wonderful! I was able to flip it over out of the bundt pan and it held it's shape very well. My only change was using almond milk in place of soy milk. Hopefully you will get some more responses!

[thegreenjudy]

well this is a basic vegan cupcake recipe but it's got the perfect consistency and you can adjust the amounts to your need. i am making a wedding cake for my friend this month and i will be using this. even my hubby likes it:-)

this is for 6 cupcakes:

75g caster sugar
75g dairy free margarine
70g plain flour
40g corn flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vinegar
vanilla flavouring
soya milk (or water or any fluid you fancy:-))

beat marg and sugar until creamy. add vanilla and vinegar, flour, corn flour and baking powder. this should have a crumbly consistency. add fluid until the mix is creamy and the consistency like cake batter (not like pancake better as some vegan recipes). it should have a slight fluffy look to it due to the vinegar and the baking powder. put in the oven at 190 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly gplden on top and toothpick comes out dry.

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[Mymblesdaughter]

What are are you using to replace the egg? You need to put something like soya flour or a banana to bind it together. That could explain why they are crumbly. Veg oil goes really well in chocolate cake. I've found the ones on the vegan society website to be good in the past http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/cakes/

[Blueberries]

My go-to egg replacer is plant milk soured with vinegar, it always makes cakes light & moist :D

[Blackpoolvegan]

I've made really good cakeage using Orgran egg replacer when veganising omni recipes, especially things like chocolate cake, scones and banana bread. Like Blueberries, I've also used soy milk soured with vinegar: this seems to be better for cakes which need a slightly denser texture to hold together (I've made cornbread like this, incidentally, and it was perfect). Having said that, I made some buns a few days ago using the soured milk, but they turned out a bit too rigid - I suspect this may be a temporary fail on the part of my baking skills, however!:hmm:

The thing about omni recipes, especially for traditional cakes, is that they've been tried and tested for years, so if the ingredients are easily veganised, you might be better going with a conventional recipe.

Anyway, enjoy practicing! (One of the best bits about being vegan, imo....)

[twinkle]

...
The thing about omni recipes, especially for traditional cakes, is that they've been tried and tested for years, so if the ingredients are easily veganised, you might be better going with a conventional recipe....

I disagree! There are thousands of vegan recipes that have now been tried and tested too. If you're going to make a vegan cake try looking for a recipe someone has spent time and effort testing for you, rather than possibly looking at an expensive experiment trying to veganise it, surely? (if there's no recipe for what you want already then is the time to experiment).

The original poster doesn't say whether she's following a recipe or just making something up. If it's the latter, it's not surprising they're not the right texture.

[harpy]

Yes, must say I have had more success with vegan cake recipes than ones that I have adapted myself (but I am crap at making cakes in general, it has to be said :o ). It is good to get a recommendation though because some recipes I've found on line don't seem to have been tested!

[sandra]

There is or was a good recipe for cake on here once by Frank..............does it still exist?

[chickpea1]

thanks for all the responses everyone, yes i was following a recipie so i was surprised it didnt turn out firmer. thanks for the tips though and thanks to those who sent recipies. i am having a trial attempt on friday for the cake so i will let you know how it goes! i had used vinegar in a previous recipie but i found that i got the exact opposite problem. it was actually quite hard to cut. that may however have just been my baking 'skills'. possibly over-baked. thanks everyone!!