Carob is a lovely, versatile ingredient. In this vegan carob cake it has centre stage, but isn’t over-powering if you’re new to using carob in baking.
Essentially, it’s a carob madeira cake. Like ordinary madeira cake, this version has a soft, semi-dense crumb, a rich flavour and a soft, thick, cracked crust. You could create a fancier version by adding carob chips, icing, or drizzled syrup to this basic recipe.
Ground almonds contribute moisture and a really soft texture, and I’ve added a few flaked almonds to the top. This is really just for aesthetic reasons. Carob has quite a muddy colour that doesn’t do justice to its interesting flavour, which is reminiscent of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and treacle, but not quite like any of them.
Carob should really be more popular than it is, outside of the few Southern European countries that grow and consume most of the world’s supply. As well as having a unique, warm flavour, its health benefits are well-documented. One interesting nutritional fact for plant-based bakers is that it’s a decent source of calcium, having 350mg per 100g (cow’s milk has 129mg; cocoa 128mg; kale 150mg). Although you do tend to consume it in small quantities, unlike cocoa it doesn’t contain oxalates that interfere with calcium absorption.
vegan carob cake…
ingredients
- 120 g vegan margarine
- 140 g brown sugar
- 60 g maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (3 tsp) vanilla extract
- pinch salt (no more than 1/8 tsp)
- 150 g white/unbleached self-raising flour
- 100 g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 25 g carob powder
- 90 g ground almonds
- 150 oat (or other plant-based) milk
- optional – flaked almonds to decorate
method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and lightly oil/line the base of a loaf tin. (The pictured cake was baked in a larger than standard loaf tin, so it’s a bit shorter and wider.)
- In a large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat some more.
- Sift in the carob powder, then add the ground almonds and stir to combine.
- Sift in about a third of the flour, followed by about a third of the milk, and stir/fold. Then add another third of each, and stir. Once you have stirred in the last third, transfer to the tin and level the top.
- If you are adding flaked almonds, sprinkle these across the top before baking for around 50 minutes. The loaf will have a thick, cracked crust and an inserted skewer will come out clean when it is ready.
- Allow to cool and settle before cutting. It will be very soft at first.
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