Vegan Strawberry Almond Joy Birthday Cake

This cake is not only vegan, but gluten free too! The layers of chocolate cake, rich ganache, toasted coconut and almonds, strawberry jelly, cream cheese icing and almond florentine make for a show stopping explosion of flavors and a drop-dead gorgeous slice of cake!

The majority of people I cook/bake for are 'cake people', meaning that if they had to choose between the cake part of a cake and the frosting, they would choose the cake.

So, I got really excited when my friend, Laurel's birthday came about and she told me she was more of a frosting person.

I was getting all these ideas on how to make something that had a bunch of frosting-like elements, with out being layers of straight butter and sugar.

When it comes to flavors, she told me she wanted chocolate. When I would ask, "Anything else?" she would say, "I like anything that goes with chocolate."

I have known Laurel since 5th grade and have been trick-or-treating together enough to know that she loves Almond Joys.

Incase you don't know, Almond Joys are a classic American candy, they are, essentially, a lump of sweet shredded coconut with one or two almond pressed into the top, covered in chocolate.

↑ (image from Candy Warehouse)↑

So, I made a coconut filling that resembles the same, sticky and soft confection found in an Almond Joy. Then I sprinkled on some toasted almonds and added even more almond-flavor and bonus crispy texture with an almond florentine.

I wanted to bring in some zing, tartness and freshness to the cake so I added one of her favorite fruits, strawberries, in the form of an agar jelly.

Laurel is also allergic to gluten, so in addition to being vegan this cake had to be gluten free. I tested the cake part 8 times to get this final recipe. I found that it is vital to put the cake in the oven directly after you mix the wet and dry ingredients (if you don't your cake will be flat and dense). It is also important to use a gf flour mix with xanthum gum. My favorite has been Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour (some mixes I tried turned out like tires because they had too much xanthum gum).

---

Ingredients (for one 6" cake)

---

for the strawberry jelly

175g strawberries

1 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp agar agar

27g vegan butter

62g sugar

57ml coconut milk + 1/2 tsp cornstarch

for the coconut filling

30ml aquafaba (chickpea water)

pinch of cream of tarter

2 tsp vanilla extract

30 ml water

3/4 tsp agar agar

62g sugar

80ml milk

67g sugar

salt to taste

146 shredded coconut (I like to pan toast it first)

a handful of toasted almonds, roughly chopped

for the chocolate cake

78ml milk

1 tsp vinegar

56ml neutral oil

1 tsp vanilla

53ml maple syrup

100g sugar

113g GF flour (I like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour)

74g almond flour

29g cocoa powder

1/3 tsp salt

1/3 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp baking powder

78ml boiling water

for the chocolate ganache

300g dark chocolate

150g coconut cream

1 Tbs vegan butter

2 Tbs maple syrup

for the cream cheese icing

70g powdered sugar

4 Tbs vegan butter, room temp

4 oz vegan cream cheese, room temp

a dash of vanilla

for the almond florentine

1/3 cup lightly roasted almonds, ground

2 Tbs vegan butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs GF flour

pinch of salt

2 tsp water

---

Instructions

---

Day 1

make the strawberry jelly

1. Line a 6" pan with a large piece of plastic wrap. Combine the strawberries and lemon juice in a small sauce pan, bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stir to ensure the bottom doesn't burn.

Simmer for 7 minutes, before using an immersion blender to puree the berries into a smooth sauce. Add in the agar and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

1. Whisk in the butter, sugar and milk/cornstarch and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Then pour the hot strawberry sauce into the lined pan. Set aside to cool. Once the jelly has set, you can use the plastic wrap to lift it out of the pan and keep in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.

make the coconut filling

1. Dust a small heat proof container with powdered sugar (a container close to the size of a 4x4 square pan). Whip the aquafaba with the cream of tarter until soft peaks form, then add the vanilla and whip again.

2. In a small pot bring the the sugar, water and agar to a boil. Cook at a boil for 3 minutes before slowly pouring the hot syrup into the whipped aquafaba (whip while you are pouring). Once everything is combined, pour the still-hot mix into the dusted container. Let the mixture set. In the meantime you can take a break or make the next element.

3. Place the shredded coconut into a medium bowl, set aside. Once the aquafaba jelly has set, break it up and put it in a sauce pan with the milk, salt and sugar. On a medium-low heat dissolve the set jelly in the milk. This will take close to 7 minutes, but be patient and keep stirring. When the jelly has completely dissolved, pour it through a strainer into the coconut. Stir the liquid into the coconut until it is all completely coated. Let it cool, keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

make the chocolate cake

1. Grease and line two 6" pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Whisk together all the wet ingredients. Sift, and then whisk together all the dry ingredients. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk together until barely combined, then pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their tins for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

make the chocolate ganache

1. Put the chocolate, maple syrup and vegan butter in a heat proof bowl. Bring the coconut cream to a simmer, then pour the hot cream over the chocolate.

2. Let it sit for a few minutes before stirring to make a smooth, glossy ganache. Keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

3. Right before assembly, whip the ganache for a few minutes to get it spreadable.

make the cream cheese icing

1. Beat everything together until fluffy. Keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Day 2

make the almond florentine

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Blitz the nuts into a chunky cornmeal consistency. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the sugar, flour, and salt. Stir until the sugar is incorporated, then add the almonds and water. Stir until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool for 1 minute.

1. Use a little under half the mixture to form a circle a bit under 6" on the tray. Bake for 7-9 minutes, rotating halfway through. Once you take it out, immediately trim the hot florentine into a 6" circle. Use the leftover mix to make any shape of florentine you want, you can use it to decorate the cake, or just snack on.

2. Let the florentine cool completely on a wire rack. Set aside for later.

assemble

1. Cut the two 6" cakes in half to get four layers in total. Line the top of each piece of cake with a very thin layer of ganache. Let the chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Place one layer of cake, ganache side up, on the cake stand. Place a layer of coconut filling on, then a sprinkle of chopped almonds. Then put another layer of the cake on top, ganache side down.

3. Spread a layer of cream cheese icing, then place the florentine on top, another layer of cream cheese icing, then the strawberry jelly, and a final layer of cream cheese icing.

4. Place the third layer of cake, ganache side up. Then a layer of coconut filling, a sprinkle of almonds, and the final layer of cake, ganache side down.

5. Ice the whole cake in a crumb coat of cream cheese and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

6. Finish the cake off with a creamy coat of ganache and chill until ready to serve.

---

GF + Vegan chocolate cake recipe adapted from Eat With Clarity