One of our favourite recipes here at Alfalfa House. This is Ran’s upside down currant cake. And an added bonus – this cake is vegan, made with wholegrain flours and unrefined sugars. Guilt-free eating at it’s best! The final baked product is a moist and rich cake topped with currants. Further go ahead and make this vegan upside down cake all year round. It doesn’t rely on any special seasonal foods. After all we are using currants available in most bulk food stores like your very own Alfalfa House.
Note on The Ingredients
This cake uses ingredients that should be quite familiar to all. Except may be Kuzu Starch and/ or arrowroot powder. These 2 ingredients are commonly used in vegan baking. Kuzu root creates a starchy thickening texture and provide structure to the cakes. That is important in vegan baking. When we are missing ingredients like eggs and butter that do provide structure and firmness to cakes (besides fat).
So What is Kuzu ?
“Kuzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is the Japanese name for the kudzu plant and the starch derived from the kudzu root. Kuzu is native to both China and Japan. It is a member of the pea family.” Read more about Kuzu and it’s benefits over here
More Delicious Vegan Upside Down Cake
We have been busy searching for more vegan baking deliciousness. Try baking one of these, if you want more weekend baking projects!
- Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake as pears become more easily available heading into the winter here in Australia
- This vegan toffee apple upside cake is sticky sweet topped with lightly spiced apples
- A vegan pineapple upside cake for those days when you are feeling tropical. This cake uses coconut based ingredients and of course pineapple
If you do bake this cake, please share your creation on Instagram with #alfalfahouse
Vegan Upside Down Currant Slice
A simple recipe to make a vegan upside down currant cake. This cake is also refined-sugar free and uses whole food ingredients and flours. Guilt-free eating at it's best
- Oven
For the Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups white spelt flour
- 1.5 cups almond meal ((ground almonds))
- 2 tsp baking powder
- a good pinch of salt
For the Wet Ingredients
- 1.5 cups sunflower oil ((or neutral tasting oil of your choice))
- 1 cup rice syrup
- 1 cup soya milk
- 2 medium zest of lemons
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
For the Topping
- 2 cups currants
- 1 tbsp kuzu ((or arrowroot powder))
- 1 tbsp agar flakes
For The Cake Base
Pre-heat oven to 180° C
Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl
Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl – you see the mixture becoming thicker and as the ingredients join together and emulsify
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together without overworking the mixture (this might be runnier than you think a cake ought to be – don’t worry!)
If you are going to make cupcakes you can now spoon the mix into 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake tray and bake for 25 minutes or when poked with a skewer the skewer comes out clean (apart from a few crumbs of almond)
Preparing the Toppings (for upside down cake)
Combine the currants on a low heat in a small pot.
Stir in the kuzu and dissolve. Stir in the agar flakes.
Warming up this mixture is sufficient
Finishing Up the Cake to Bake In Oven
Line a 12” shallow tart tin with baking paper
Pour in the topping
Very carefully pour in the wet mix – you will see the topping coming up and mixing with the cake mix – don’t worry about that, just be as gentle as you can
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until when poked with a skewer the skewer comes out clean
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes
Turn out tin onto serving dish and peel away baking paper.
Serve in thin cake slices – lovely with a soya yoghurt or lemon sorbet.