This a delicious cake traditionally eaten on easter holidays in Spain and it is called Mona de Pascua. This vegan version of that cake is egg and dairy-free, and contains no refined flours and sugars. It is sweet, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Personally, I find the traditional Mona Cake too sweet, so I decided to add a thin layer of lemon curd, which gives it a sour taste that combines perfectly with the rest of the ingredients and makes the cake a little bit less sweet.
I hope you like the recipe and enjoy it with your family and friends this holidays.
Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup earth balance or margarine
1 cup cane sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs or egg replacer (the equivalent of 2 eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
Filling:
1) Lemon Curd:
1/3 cup margarine or earth balance
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup egg replacer (the equivalent of 2 eggs)
2) Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3) Apricot or peach jam
Buttercream:
4 tablespoons almond butter
4 tablespoons margarine or earth balance (room temperature)
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Pinch salt
Garnish:
Sliced almonds
Chocolate eggs
Chicks
Instructions:
Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan.
2. In a bowl or food processor, combine together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the margarine, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and almond milk. Mix until well combined.
3. Pour the mixture in the pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Lemon Curd:
1. Place the zest of 2 lemons and the sugar in the food processor or blender. Pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
2. Cream the butter and add the sugar and lemon zest mixture. Add the egg replacer, the lemon juice and salt. Mix until well combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a pan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 min), stirring constantly.
4. Remove from the heat and cool.
Syrup:
In a pot, place the water, sugar and lemon juice. When it starts boiling, bring it to a low heat and let it reduce for about 5 min.
Buttercream:
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Almonds:
Place the almonds in the oven (300ºF) to roast them. It will take about 5 minutes.
Assembly:
1. Cut the cake into three layers.
2. Spread the syrup on top of all the layers.
3. Then spread the jam on one of the layers and the lemon curd on the other layer.
4. Put the three layers together, one above the other, and cover the cake with the frosting (the top and the edge).
5. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the cake and around the edge.
6. Decorate your Easter Cake with chocolate eggs, chicks, etc.
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