Hello everybody and hello raspberry season!
Yes raspberry season has arrived and it is pretty early this year. Manly I think because we had an awesome spring and summer so far. Fingers crossed it'll stay this way!We grow raspberries in our graden but this year our raspberry bushes unfortunately decided to invest their energy more in growing branches than in growing fruits... I hope we will benefit from this next year!
Anyway lucky us have a farm full of fruits just around corner. It's a huge area where they grow all sorts of berries and you can go and pick them yourself or be lazy and buy they already picked ones. I love this place. I love to stroll trough the aisles between the berry bushes, I love to smell the berries and I love the peace and quite. That's why I usually like to go in the evenings. That's when most people are gone already, as this place can get quite busy. I can catch the evening sun and I can wander between the bushes..
It's a prefect way and place for me to unwind. To let go of everything: thoughts, fears, goals, challenges whatever is occupying my mind. It reminds of my childhood. I grew up in a small village and I spend most summer days outside, roaming trough the forests and fields, feeling connected with nature and in peace with myself.
I find having such a place quite important. Our modern lives can get so hectic and stressful and it is so easy to loose your inner balance. A stressful day at work, too much screen time too much eating out. These thing weasel into our lives easily and before you know it your inner balance is miles away. To me balance is of the utmost importance. If I feel out of balance dealing with daily challenges gets much more difficult, I get annoyed much easier, everything just gets somewhat irritating...
That's why I go to places like the berry farm, why I try to do everything possible by bike and why I try not to take life to serious. Connecting with nature gives me the perspective of being part of something bigger and the possibility to remember that sometimes all we can do is trust and let go, because maybe just maybe all those things we like to rant about are just not that important... Definitely not as important as bringing home a basket full of lovely raspberries to share a lovely raspberry cake and some laughter with you family!
I adapted this cake from a non vegan recipe I found online but I cannot find anymore. However it turned out wonderfully! I might even wanna say it is my new favourite. It's cake, cream, fruit and crumble. Basically all you can have in a cake. If you prefer blueberries, they also work wonderfully or you can mix blue and raspberries to turn it into a 4th of July celebration cake. Enjoy!
Servings: 8 Prep time: 25 min Baking time: 45 min
For the filling:
8 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
3 tb aquafaba
1 cup raspberries-washed and well drained
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
pinch of salt
5 tb vegan butter- softened
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup plant-based milk (I used almond)
1 ts vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan yoghurt (I used coconut)
For the streusel topping:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
3 tb vegan butter-chilled and cubed
- Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Grease an 8 inch springform and set aside.
- For the filling: Beat aquafaba until soft peaks form. Set aside. In another bowl mix together the cream cheese and sugar on medium-low speed until creamy. Set aside.
- For the cake batter: In a bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
With an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed. Add milk, yoghurt and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour mixture .Transfer the batter into the prepared springform and smooth with a spatula. - Carefully fold the aquafaba into the cream cheese mixture.Spread the cream cheese filling on top of the batter.
- Place raspberries onto cream cheese filling.
- For the topping: Combine sugar, flour and chilled cubed butter in a bowl. Mix with your hands until streusel form. Sprinkle the streusel on top of raspberries.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean of batter. The cream cheese layer will stay soft. It will set once it cools down.
- Cool on a rack and store in the fridge.
If you tried this, please let me now how you liked it in the comment section down below and if you want to get notified about more recipes like this, a subscription is just three clicks away.