Gluten-free poppy seed tea cake with raspberry cream cheese icing

Deliciously flavored with citrus, this cake is fresh and light. Little sparkles of poppy seeds embroider the crumb and give the cake a lovely crunch while enhancing its flavor with a slightly nutty and spicy taste.

Credit: Page Street Publishing / Ana Rusu

• serves

  10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Made with a mix of corn, rice and oat flour, the cake develops other secondary nutty aromas that complement the overall cake, which I absolutely love. More often than not, gluten-free cakes tend to get dry, so a vegan cream cheese icing is here to give extra moisture to the cake, as well as to round things out with its creamy and tangy contrast. This is a truly joyful accompaniment to any hot drink, be it in the morning or afternoon!

Ingredients

Poppy seed cake

• 1¼ cups (150 g) fine corn flour
• ½ cup (75 g) white rice flour
• ½ cup (50 g) oat flour
• ¾ tsp xanthan gum (see Note)
• 2½ tbsp (25 g) poppy seeds
• ⅔ cup (135 g) light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp (7 g) baking powder (see Note)
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp sea salt
• I tbsp + 1 tsp (25 ml) orange juice
• ¾ cup + 1½ tbsp (210 ml) sweetened oat milk
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sunflower oil
• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of ¼ lemon
• 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

Raspberry cream cheese icing

• 3 tsp (15 g) vegan butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (40 g) plain vegan cream cheese, cold
• ¼ cup (35 g) icing (confectioners’) sugar
• Pinch of sea salt
• ¼ cup (35 g) fresh raspberries
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Zest of ½ orange, divided
• 1–2 tsp (5–10 ml) cold unsweetened oat milk, if needed

Cooling time: 45-60 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175°C (370°F) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease an 20 cm x 10 cm (8 in x 4 inch) loaf pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess.

To make the cake, mix the flours, xanthan gum, poppy seeds, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the orange juice, oat milk, oil, citrus zest and vanilla well to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix using a spatula or wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before adding the cream cheese icing.

To make the icing, add the butter to a bowl. Give it a good mix using a wooden spatula until it becomes creamy. Add the vegan cream cheese and icing (confectioners') sugar and mix vigorously, until the sugar is dissolved and the icing becomes smooth.

In a separate cup, smash the fresh raspberries and mix them with the lemon juice and half of the orange zest, keeping the other half for decorating the cake. Strain the raspberry mixture through a fine sieve then mix the puree with the vegan cream cheese mixture. Add the cold milk to make the icing more liquid, if needed.

Pour the icing over the completely cooled loaf cake and decorate with the reserved orange zest. Slice immediately, or refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the icing to harden.

This cake will keep for 2 to 3 days, refrigerated, stored in an airtight container. Keep in mind that it tends to get drier after the first 2 days.

Note

• In this recipe, the xanthan gum helps thicken and hold the gluten-free baked good together. It also keeps it from becoming too crumbly. I don't recommend skipping this ingredient.

•Use gluten-free baking powder to make this cake gluten-free.

Recipe from New Vegan Baking by Ana Rusu, published by Page Street Publishing Co. (RRP PB $44.99). Photography by Ana Rusu.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Made with a mix of corn, rice and oat flour, the cake develops other secondary nutty aromas that complement the overall cake, which I absolutely love. More often than not, gluten-free cakes tend to get dry, so a vegan cream cheese icing is here to give extra moisture to the cake, as well as to round things out with its creamy and tangy contrast. This is a truly joyful accompaniment to any hot drink, be it in the morning or afternoon!