Summer is just around the corner which means fresh fruits for a few months! I think it’s time for some good old strawberry rhubarb shortcake.
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Vegan Strawberry Coffee Cake with Friends
I developed this recipe last summer but haven’t shared it on the blog yet. In fact, it was included in my first free e-book along with 9 more recipes. Which is why I didn’t share it anywhere else. But I have to say this recipe is too good to keep away from you, so I’m sharing it with the world.
I’m posting it now because the strawberry season is here and rhubarb season as well, so this strawberry rhubarb shortcake recipe is something you must try this summer!
Strawberries and rhubarb are a wonderful pair as the strawberry sweetness pairs amazingly well with the sourness of rhubarb. Dunked into shortcake batter, this makes a great strawberry rhubarb coffee cake for afternoon tea parties in the garden. Isn’t that a pretty vision? Hot summer, cold iced tea, a piece of strawberry shortcake, and a great chat with friends under the trees. I could keep doing that all summer long!
A Story of Love Between Strawberry and Rhubarb
Last year, when I came up with the idea for this cake, it was in the middle of the summer. My grandma has a huge rhubarb plant in her garden so we had local and homegrown rhubarb at hand all the time. Peter loves rhubarb dearly and always begs me for rhubarb pie, galette, cake, or even just compote.
I like rhubarb a lot, too. Its taste always takes me back to my childhood, to the moment when I first tried rhubarb compote and was puzzled. It tasted kinda like apple compote but didn’t look like it and had a very distinctive sour tone that made it insanely delicious.
My grandma always knew how to use rhubarb – she would make rhubarb strudels, rhubarb shortcakes, rhubarb compote … The older I get, the more I feel like I’m the one who’ll be taking her cooking legacy on. So I decided to keep rhubarb “alive” in my kitchen. It makes me super happy to see that people are using rhubarb more and more and that it’s also available in the stores (which was not the case a few years back).
So how did strawberries get into this story about rhubarb?
Well, rhubarb is great – it has its distinctive sour taste that has to be paired with sugar or something sweet. The sourness gives a new dimension to the taste, but by itself, it can be a bit much. Strawberries as the fruits that are in season around the same time and as fruits that are wildly – yes, wildly – loved and widely used, I had to try this combo. Oh, how I’m glad I did that!
Strawberry shortcake would not be the same without rhubarb just like rhubarb shortcake would not be the same without strawberries. Each fruit is amazing by itself, but the combination of the two, especially in a strawberry rhubarb shortcake – it will blow your mind, I promise.
What to be careful about with this vegan shortcake
We’re not using any animal products in this strawberry rhubarb cake recipe so it’s important to follow the recipe at least the first time you’re making this cake. If the shortcake batter is too runny it will end up dense, not baked on the inside, the baking time might be much longer and the cake might rise while baking but fall into itself while cooling down. On the other hand, if the batter is too thick and doesn’t have enough liquid and moisture, it might end up dry and crumbly. The batter must be just right.
It’s pretty important that you mic dry ingredients first in a bowl and mix the wet ingredients separately. This way you’re making sure that both flours, sugar, and baking powder are all equally distributed. In case they are not, the cake might not rise evenly, it might not be evenly baked, and maybe it won’t be evenly sweet.
Mixing the batter gently once you pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients is crucial. Once baking powder gets in touch with liquid, especially acidic liquid like lemon, it starts to bubble and creates tiny air pockets inside the batter. Mixing the batter fiercely might cause these air pockets to pop and disappear, which will result in a denser and lower shortcake once it’s baked.
The same goes for folding in the fruits. Be gentle and do it in the least folds possible.
Adjusting Ingredients and Making Your Own Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake
As with any recipe, some adjustments can be made, but you have to understand that changing the initial ingredients means changing the recipe itself so if the cake doesn’t come out exactly like mine, that one’s on you. I always advise making the recipe exactly as it is the first time and changing it only later on.
Dry Ingredients
Flour: the recipe calls for a combination of wholemeal and all-purpose flour. You can use either 100% all-purpose flour or 100% wholemeal flour instead of a 50-50 ratio. This will change the consistency of shortcake – with all-purpose flour it will probably be more fluffy and more puffed, while with wholemeal it will turn out more moist and denser.
Brown Sugar: I’m using demerara sugar, unrefined. You can use refined sugar if you wish, but the cake will have more sweetness and won’t have as much depth to the taste. I’m also not using the very dark version of brown sugar because that would affect the colour of the shortcake. You may replace sugar with coconut sugar, but that will change the taste quite a lot and the shortcake will be darker. Agave or maple syrup would be a good alternative, but make sure to add just a little less milk then as syrup is already a liquid and will add that to the cake while sugar is completely dry.
Vanilla sugar can be replaced by vanilla essence – I use approximately 5 drops instead of one pack, but you should know your essence and use as much as you feel will suffice.
Wet Ingredients
Oat milk: I always use oat milk unless the recipe depends on the type of milk, like Vegan Cream Slices. This strawberry shortcake is not that case so you can use any plant milk you wish. I like oat milk for its creaminess, but any other type will be just fine.
Coconut yogurt adds and keeps the moisture in the cake. Its acidity also creates a reaction (along with lemon juice) with baking powder and so the cake comes out fluffier.
Coconut oil can be replaced by any vegetable oil or even melted vegan butter.
Strawberries and rhubarb: Do you really want to replace these? I mean, that’s why you’re here, aren’t you? Well, if you must, you can use any fruit for this cake. It can even work with frozen fruits in the winter.
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If you’re looking for another simple cake recipe, check out this vegan coffee cake with cream. In case you just want another delicious cake recipe, then definitely try this vegan spice cake or go for healthy vegan carrot cake. If you’re in need of a refreshing recipe, this grandma’s vegan apple pie straight from the fridge will be right for you. And if you want to try my grandma’s rhubarb compote, here’s the recipe.
Are you recreating any of my recipes? Don’t forget to take a photo and tag me on Instagram @littlekitchenvibes
Strawberry Rhubarb Vegan Shortcake
Ingredients
- 100 g wholemeal flour
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 pack vanilla sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 80 g coconut yogurt
- 150 ml oat milk
- 40 ml lemon juice
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 400 g rhubarb
- 150 g strawberries
Instructions
- Prepare rhubarb first: peel it and cut it into pieces. You can play around with preparing sticks of rhubarb for decoration. Make sure to use up all rhubarb pieces. Wash strawberries and cut them into small pieces.
- Add both flours, both sugars, and baking powder to a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix them together.
- In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, milk, melted coconut oil, and lemon juice.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together to form a smooth batter. Add fruits to the batter and gently fold them in. In case you don’t have rhubarb or strawberries or either, you can use any other fruit you wish. But you really should try the rhubarb and strawberry combo.
- Grease your baking tray and pour the batter in. You can either use a rectangular tray or a circular one for pies or cakes. Decorate with more fruits or rhubarb sticks if you wish.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 50 minutes.
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