Lush Lemon Drizzle Traybake - Vegan Version

Some time ago I blogged my recipe for lemon drizzle squares, and it's still a favourite in our house. However, since I offered to bring cake to my book-signing at our independent October Books in Southampton, and some of the staff there are vegan, a suitable adaptation was needed. I've some experience of wheat-free baking, but less with vegan, so sleeves were rolled up, teddy bear apron tied round the waist, and off we went. This is adapted to be really easy - the ingredients are mixed with just a spoon.

Here's what the rough copy of the final recipe looked like:

Some tidying up needed here.

This makes 25+ squares, of course depending on how small you want them. The picture at the end has more, as the pieces were intended as nibbles rather than whole portions.

Preps take about 20 mins, baking 30 mins, then drizzling just a further minute or two, followed by cooling time. The result was, I have to say, one of my best ever cakes.

Lush Lemon Drizzle Traybake - Vegan Version
The baking tin should have an area of about 400sq cm - that's about 26x17, or 21cm square. The tin should be lined (bottom and sides) with baking parchment. A fine grater is needed and a means of juicing the lemons - here are my trusty tools:

The oven should be heated to 175C, middle shelf ready.

Ingredients

225ml soya milk

2 tsp white vinegar (wine, balsamic or cider)**

2 lemons

75ml oil, e.g. olive

200g + 65g gran sugar

250g plain flour

2 rounded tsp baking powder

(** I checked some websites and it seems Waitrose Essential White Wine Vinegar and Cider Vinegar are OK, and Tesco White Wine Vinegar. Couldn't find info on sites for Aldi, Lidl or Asda. The Vegan Society site suggests almost all vinegar is suitable.)

                                                

Method

1 Mix the soya milk and vinegar in a small bowl; it may curdle, which is good.

2 Grate the zest of both lemons and place in a large bowl with the juice of one of them,
         saving the juice of the other for the drizzle later.

3  Add the milk/vinegar mix, the oil and 200g of the sugar and mix well with a spoon.

4  Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix gently, trying to eliminate any lumps.

5  Pour the mixture into the tin - it will be quite runny. Bake for 27-30 mins until the

         cake is golden and a skewer poked right to the bottom comes out clean. Then
         remove from the oven but keep in the tin.

6  While it cools, make the drizzle by mixing the remaining 65g of sugar with the juice of

         the second lemon and warm through without boiling so as to keep the crunch (hob 

         or 20sec in the microwave).

7  Make plenty of holes around the surface of the cake with a skewer then spoon the 
         drizzle slowly all over it so that it spreads over the surface and drips into the holes.

8  Leave until nearly cold then use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.

Oops! One piece missing.

Next project might be a vegan orange drizzle traybake - although it's hard to veer away from lemon if you love it as I do. Other possibilities are coconut, cranberry, even choc chip. Or even chopped hazelnuts and a maple syrup drizzle. Lovely!