Valentine's Raspberry Mini Cakes - vegan & naturally sweetened

Soft little cakes with creamy filling & fruity raspberries. This recipe is vegan and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The perfect treat for Valentine's Day, birthdays or just because you like cake. 😊💕

[:de]Kategorien[:en]Course Tags[:] Cake, Dessert, sweets

Tags cream cheese, dairy-free, naturally sweetened, plant-based, raspberries, valentine's day, vegan

[:de]Vorbereitungszeit[:en]Prep Time[:] 40 minutes

[:de]Garzeit[:en]Cook Time[:] 45 minutes

Cooling time: 2 hours

[:de]Gesamt[:en]Total Time[:] 1 hour 25 minutes

[:de]Portionen[:en]Servings[:] 3 mini cakes

[:de]Zutaten[:en]Ingredients[:]

For the cake:

Dry ingredients:

1,5 cups | 150 g wheat or spelt flour
1 Tbsp acai powder (optional)*
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt

Wet ingredients:

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp | 100 ml maple syrup
1/3 cup | 100 ml coconut milk (from a can)
1/3 cup | 80 ml beetroot juice
1/4 cup | 60 g unsweetened apple sauce
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the cream cheese frosting:

5,3 oz | 150 g almond cream cheese
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground vanilla

For the raspberry sauce:

1 cup | 100 g raspberries fresh or frozen
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp chia seeds

Additionally for decoration:

15 fresh raspberries
1 tsp dried edible flowers

[:de]Anleitung[:en]Instructions[:]

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 180°C | 350°F.
Grease a round baking pan (Ø 7 in | 18 cm) with some coconut oil.
Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk.
Mix all wet ingredients in a second bowl and then pour them into the flour mixture.
Stir everything with the whisk until no flour is left visible. Be careful not to over-mix!
Put the dough in the prepared baking pan and let the cake bake for about 45 minutes. It's best to do the stick test after 40 minutes. If no dough is left hanging, the cake is finished, otherwise bake for another 5 minutes and test again.
Cool the finished cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and let cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting:

As the cake bakes, you can prepare the cream cheese frosting and the raspberry sauce.
Put all ingredients for the topping in a tall container and mix creamy with the hand mixer for about 1 minute. Place it in the fridge until you need it.

For the raspberry sauce:

Place berries and maple syrup in a small saucepan and pt over medium heat. As soon as the raspberries start to release their juices, add the chia seeds and stir.
When the sauce begins to simmer, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Then put in a bowl and place in the fridge to cool.

How to assemble the mini cakes:

Halve the cooled cake horizontal in the middle and cut out 6 circles with a round cookie cutter.
My cookie cutters are Ø 0,24 in | 60 mm and Ø 0,3 in | 75 mm.
For each mini cake, you need 2 cut out cake circles. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of raspberry sauce on both circles and then 1-2 teaspoons cream cheese frosting.
Carefully stack the cake circles and decorate the top with 5 fresh raspberries and a pinch of dried flowers in the center.
Repeat the process twice with the remaining cake circles.
The finished mini cakes should be placed in the freezer for 10 minutes for the frosting to become firm.
The mini cakes taste best on the day made, but will keep fresh in the fridge for 1-2 days.

[:de]Anmerkungen[:en]Notes[:]

*Actually intended for smoothies, but also tastes delicious in a cake. The cake gets a subtle fruit note and also a few extra vitamins and minerals. 😉 I recommend this powder¹.

I always choose organic produce whenever possible. It’s not only better for my health (and yours, too), but also for our environment. 🌍💫💚