Vegan Italian Vanilla with Lemon Buttercream

The Cake

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or water (240g)
⅓ cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (67g)
Zest from one lemon

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a round 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Stir almond milk (or water), olive oil and lemon zest until combined.
Place vanilla cake mix in a large bowl.
Slowly add the liquid blend to the vanilla cake mix while mixing with a hand-held whisk until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 42-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in baking pan for about 10 minutes before unmolding.

For a layered cake, grease two round 7-inch cake pans and divide batter evenly between them. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

½ cup vegan butter (4oz, 113g)
2 cups organic powdered sugar (227g)
1 tablespoon vegan milk
½ tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Beat the vegan butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, less than a minute.
Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, vegan milk and lemon extract beating first on low speed, then gradually increasing to medium high speed. Beat just until thick and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overbeat! Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Allow cake to cool then frost with lemon buttercream.
If desired, decorate the cake with fresh flowers just before serving. Wrap stems with floral tape to protect the cake.

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Preheat your oven to 325ºF.
Grease the recommended pan and line it with parchment paper.
If using a Bundt pan, apply a baking spray made with flour.
For best results, weigh all ingredients and bring them to room temperature.
Don’t open the oven door until the cake has set, unless the recipe instructs you to do so.
Your cake is done when it begins to shrink from the sides of the pan, springs back when touched or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let your cake cool for 5-10 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
Cooled plain cakes (without frosting or pastry cream) can be double-wrapped first in cling film, then in aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.
To defrost a frozen cake, simply place the wrapped cake in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Store plain or glazed cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Store frosted cakes and cakes baked with pastry cream in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Pre-heat your oven to 325ºF.
Grease the recommended cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
If using a Bundt pan, apply a baking spray made with flour.
In a separate bowl, beat room temperature eggs at high speed for 3-5 minutes, then add mild extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady drizzle until thick and creamy.
Add remaining wet ingredients and the cake mix to the egg mixture and mix until combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl. Do not overmix.
Gently mix stir ins into batter until well combined.
Scrape batter into prepared pan(s) and sprinkle with toppings.
Bake immediately following the guidelines in the recipe. Cool in baking pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding.
Cool cake completely before frosting.

Pre-heat your oven to 325ºF.
Grease the recommended cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Stir all wet ingredients together.
Place cake mix in a large bowl. Slowly add the liquid blend to the cake mix while mixing with a hand-held whisk until well combined.
Mix stir ins (nuts, berries, chopped fruit, chocolate chips etc.) into batter until just blended.
Scrape batter into prepared pan(s) and sprinkle with toppings (e.g. sliced almonds)
Bake immediately following the guidelines in the recipe.
Cool in baking pan for about 10 minutes before unmolding.
Cool cake completely before frosting.