Vegan Hojicha Latte Cake (Gluten-Free)

A slice of vegan hojicha latte cake topped with rose petals on a plate with a fork

Vegan Hojicha Latte Cake (Gluten-Free)

Hojicha lattes made using roasted green tea have recently become very popular, so I decided to make a Vegan Hojicha Latte Cake! It has a soft and fluffy hojicha-infused sponge covered with a rich and creamy hojicha frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword gluten-free hojicha latte cake, hojicha latte, hojicha latte cake, vegan hojicha latte, vegan hojicha latte cake

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
230 ml (1 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
8 tablespoons (8 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
2 heaped teaspoons (2 heaped teaspoons) baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) hojicha powder to taste

For the frosting:

400 g (14 oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) hojicha powder to taste
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

To decorate (optional):

Hojicha powder
Rose petals

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla and ground almonds.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and hojicha powder.
Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
Transfer mixture between two small greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm tins).
Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Once out the oven, immediately remove cakes from baking tins and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting:

You'll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full-fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won't happen and you won't be able to make this cream!
Open the tin upside down - the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies).
Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl.
Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy.
Sift in the hojicha powder, add the maple syrup and mix well.

To assemble:

Once the sponges have cooled completely, place one sponge on a large plate or cake stand, and cover with half of the matcha frosting - for best results, use a palette knife to do this.
Place the other sponge on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Sift over hojicha powder and sprinkle with rose petals to decorate, if desired.
Tastes best eaten on the day, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Notes

*The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the sponge fluffy. If you can't get hold of vinegar, replace it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

**You can alternatively use almond flour.

Hojicha is a type of Japanese roasted green tea. It has a richer, deeper and more aromatic flavour than matcha, and is lower in caffeine.
You can buy it as a loose-leaf tea, teabags, or in a powder form.
To make hojicha cake, you'll need to use hojicha powder.
Hojicha has only recently started to become popular in Western countries, so it's more difficult to get hold of than matcha. You can buy hojicha powder online, at Japanese supermarkets, or specialty Japanese tea stores. Here's the link to buy it on Amazon!

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