Thursday 7 August 2014

Savory Red Velvet Cake!

 
 
This evening I am going to a vegan potluck, and as my contribution, I decided to make red velvet cake!
 
 
But not just any red velvet cake.  Hummus cake!  This cake is actually an appetizer, not a dessert.  I had the original inspiration for a savory, hummus-iced cake like this from this blog, and since I am interested in most things that involve hummus, I decided I'd like to make a vegan version.  Adding beets gives the cake a beautiful, natural fuchsia pink hue, perfect for a red velvet theme, and I think the creamy colour of my lime navy bean hummus complements the cake colour well too. :)

Savory Red Velvet Cake 


Ingredients:*

Cake:**
Chickpea flour - 1/2 cup toasted***
Salt - 1/3 teaspoon
Baking soda - 1/16 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/8 teaspoon
Zucchini - 1 raw, chopped
Beet - 1/2 medium, raw, chopped
Ground flaxseed - 1 tablespoon
Almond milk - 4 tablespoons (I used Silk Unsweetened Original)
Green onion - 1 stalk
Garlic - 1 clove
Onion powder - 1 teaspoon
Dried chive - 1 teaspoon
Canola oil - 1/2 teaspoon (+ extra for pan)

Icing:
About 1/2 recipe of lime navy hummus (you could try with another hummus if you'd like)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Toast chickpea flour in a pan on low-medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant.  Add salt, baking soda, and baking powder and sift well.

In a blender, combine zucchini, beet, flaxseed, almond milk, green onion, garlic, onion powder, chive, and canola oil until well blended.

Stir blended mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Pour into an oiled 9x12-inch pan and smooth out evenly. 



Bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Mine was finished when the bottom began turning a little more orange-brown coloured instead of fuchsia pink.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Once cake has cooled, cut into about 4 or 5 circles using the rim of a glass.  (Alternatively, you could make a square or rectangular cake by cutting into slices).  Put one circle on a plate, and cover with hummus, then put another circle on top and repeat.  Once you have used up your circles, cover the rest of the top and sides of the cake evenly with hummus.


If you'd like, top cake with shredded beet for decoration, and serve!


Notes:

* The recipe above makes one small size cake.  For my potluck tonight, I doubled the recipe and made a larger cake, and I would recommend that if you are making it as an appetizer for more than 3 or 4 people.
 
** This recipe makes a very mild-tasting cake.  Feel free to spice it up with cayenne or other spices!

*** I decided to use chickpea flour since I know that some people at the potluck may also prefer a gluten-free option, (and because I really enjoy the nutty taste and vegetable protein content of chickpea flour - I can always go for an opportunity to use more legumes!) but I think using an equivalent amount of whole wheat flour would probably work equally well here. 

 
I think this cake would be a great option for those who aren't so much into sweets.  It's also full of veggies, as well as protein from the navy beans and chickpea flour, which makes it a great option for everyone! 

I hope you enjoy it! :)

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