Vegan Birthday Cake (Sponge Sandwich)

This recipe was adapted from the Vegan Carob Sponge in the Engine Shed Recipe Book and is the standard cake we use for family birthdays and any other time a lovely light sponge sandwich with "buttercream" icing and jam filling is required!

Ingredients (sponge)

• 2 cups white flour
• half cup soya flour
• 2 bananas (sliced)
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• half cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• half cup fresh orange juice
• half cup cold water
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients (lemon icing and jam filling)

• raspberry jam
• 75g (3oz) vegan margarine
• 175g (6oz) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method (sponge)

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F or Gas Mark 3).
2. Sieve together all the dry ingredients except sugar.
3. In a jug, whisk together the oil, sugar, orange juice, water and vanilla essence.
4. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and beat well until smooth.
5. Grease 2 8 inch cake tins and split the mixture between them.
6. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes.

Method (lemon icing and jam filling)

1. Leave the two halves of the cake to cool for some time.
2. Beat the margarine in a bowl until soft.
3. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar
4. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Add a little warm water, soya milk or rice milk if required to give a fluffy consistency.
5. Spread raspberry jam over one half of the cake, spread the lemon icing over the other half and join them together and cover the top of the cake with more lemon icing.
6. Leave for at least a couple of hours so that the icing firms up a bit, then decorate with carob drops or raisins.