Vegan Drizzle Cake With Your Choice Of Citrus

The only vegan drizzle cake recipe you’ll ever need. It’s an easy-to-make zesty loaf cake which has a lovely texture and is super tasty. The recipe is healthier than many as it’s made with wholemeal spelt flour and a bit less sugar and fat. You can use whatever citrus you like, but if you have calamansi, use those.

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Our calamansi tree has done well this year. It’s the first time we’ve had enough fruit to actually bake with. So this calamansi drizzle cake is a bit of a novelty. But no less delicious for that.

What the Heck are Calamansi?

Some say calamondin, some say calamansi. Whatever you prefer to call it, Citrus x microcarpa, is a small tart citrus fruit. It’s actually a cross between a mandarin orange and a kumquat. Confusingly, it’s also known as a Philippine lime as it’s commonly cultivated and used in the Philippines.

It’s the easiest citrus to grow here in the UK as well as in other cold climes. Mostly grown as an ornamental, it’s a popular conservatory plant. The flowers are prolific and have a heady scent.

But why waste the fruit, it’s edible. It’s thin skinned and easy to peel. In the Philippines, the fruit is harvested green, although the flesh is orange. I harvest them when they are fully ripe and orange all the way through.

Like most other citrus, calamansi are packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants. The juice is said to boost the immune system, eliminate toxins from the body and lower cholesterol.

The zest is deliciously fragrant and the tart juice is tasty. Much like a lemon, however, you probably wouldn’t want to eat one on its own. It smells and tastes a bit like a sour tangerine. So if you haven’t tried one yet, this calamansi drizzle cake is a good place to start.

Healthy Drizzle Cake

Well nothing with sugar in is going to be super healthy. But this calamondin drizzle cake contains less sugar and less fat than many of its drizzle cousins. It’s also made with wholemeal spelt flour. Spelt is kinder on your gut than standard wheat flour and the wholemeal element provides welcome fibre.

Vegan Drizzle Cake

If you haven’t had a vegan drizzle cake yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re one of the most delicious cakes you’re likely to have. And they’re so simple to make too. Okay, they’re not in the least bit fancy. But they are tasty, comforting and popular.

I’ve used calamansi, for this vegan drizzle cake. But you can use whatever citrus fruits you fancy or have in the house.

The only fiddly bit involved in making this calamansi drizzle cake is zesting the skins and squeezing the flesh of the fruit. Calamondins are quite small, so it takes a bit longer than prepping a lemon. But if you have a microplane, zesting is a breeze.

Other than that, all you need to do is mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones, much like making muffins. Whisk the wholemeal spelt flour with the baking powder, bicarb, sugar and salt. Make a hole in the middle and pour in the oil. Start mixing from the inside out and gradually add the plant milk until everything is combined. Stir in the citrus zest and juice, then bake.

Once the cake is out of the oven, prick it all over with a skewer, then pour a mix of sugar, juice and zest over the top. If you leave the cake to cool in the tin, it will absorb all of the liquid, creating an enticingly sticky exterior. And a delicious zingy interior.

If you can’t get hold of spelt, you can swap it for regular wholemeal flour. The texture, however, might not be as light. A way around this is to sieve out the largest bits of bran, which impede the rise.

Which Plant Milk To Use?

When it comes to choosing a plant milk, it’s fine to go with your favourite. They all have different qualities and flavours. But if you’re not allergic to soya, that’s a particularly good one for structure because of its high protein content.

Can You Use Other Citrus?

You can indeed use citrus other than calamansi for your vegan drizzle cake. Everyone knows about lemon drizzle cake, but I reckon lime drizzle is even better. Orange is good and even grapefruit has its place. I’ve tried them all.

Ideally you want a tart citrus fruit for a drizzle cake. This helps to offset the sugar and gives a flavoursome contrast. That’s why lemon drizzle is so popular. Bitter oranges such as seville are good too. Although blood oranges aren’t as tart as some oranges, they also work well.

How Much Citrus Do You Need?

• 2 lemons. Cake requires juice from 1 and the zest from 1 ½. Drizzle needs juice from 1 and zest from ½.
• 2 limes. Cake requires juice from 1 and the zest from 1 ½. Drizzle needs juice from 1 and zest from ½.
• 1 large orange. Cake requires juice from ½ and the zest from ¾. Drizzle needs juice from ½ and zest from ¼.
• 2 blood oranges. Blood oranges are usually a lot smaller than navel oranges, so go with the juice from 1 and the zest from 1 ½ for the cake. For the drizzle use the juice from one and the zest from the remaining ¼.
• 3 clementines. Assuming they’re small ones, otherwise two. Cake requires juice from one and zest from two. The drizzle needs the juice of two and the zest of one.
• ½ grapefruit. Cake requires juice from ¼ and the zest from ½. Drizzle needs juice from ¼ and no zest.
• 8-10 calamansi / calamondins (depending on size). Cake requires juice from half of the fruit and the zest from all but two. Drizzle needs juice from half of the fruit and zest from just two.

Other Recipes for Vegan Cakes You Might Like

• Banana chocolate vegan honey cake
• Blueberry muffins with lemon
• Chocolate banana cashew cake
• Coconut chocolate cake made with chickpea flour (gluten-free)
• Courgette chocolate cupcakes
• Peanut butter banana muffins
• Spicy dark chocolate cake

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this calamansi vegan drizzle cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more loaf cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

Vegan Drizzle Cake. PIN IT.

Vegan Drizzle Cake – The Recipe

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5 from 11 votes

Vegan Citrus Drizzle Cake

An easy-to-make loaf cake a lovely texture and a super flavour. The recipe is healthier than many as it’s made with wholemeal spelt flour and a bit less sugar and fat. You can use whatever citrus you like, but if you have calamansi / calamondin, use those.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Afternoon Tea, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: cake, calamondin, citrus, drizzle cake, loaf cake

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 2853kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• microplane (affiliate link)
• 2 lb loaf tin (affiliate link)

Ingredients

• 275 g wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
• 200 g golden caster sugar + 2 tbsp for the drizzle
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• 175 g plant milk of choice soya is a particularly good one for structure because of its high protein content
• 8-10 calamansi / calamondins depending on size zest & juice (or citrus of your choice, see notes below for quantities)

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Place the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
  275 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 200 g golden caster sugar
• Make a well in the middle and pour in the oil. Using the whisk or a wooden spoon, stir from the inside out, adding the milk as you incorporate the dry ingredients. Try not to over mix, but everything needs to be nicely combined.
  100 ml sunflower oil, 175 g plant milk of choice
• Add the juice of half the calamondins and the zest of all but two. Stir until just combined.
• Line a 2 lb loaf tin (21 x 11 x 7cm or 8 x 4 x 3in) with baking paper. Scrape in the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4)  for 35-40 minutes. The cake should be well risen and golden with a crack down the middle. An inserted skewer should come out virtually clean.
• Whilst the cake is cooking, mix the remaining citrus zest and juice together with 2 tbsp of golden caster sugar. Stir from time to time so that the sugar dissolves.
• As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke a few holes in it and pour the sugared juice over the top.
• Leave in the tin until cold, by which time the cake will have absorbed the sugary juice.

Notes

Amount of Citrus Needed

2 lemons. Cake requires juice from 1 and the zest from 1½. Drizzle needs juice from 1 and zest from ½.

2 limes. Cake requires juice from 1 and the zest from 1½. Drizzle needs juice from 1 and zest from ½.

1 orange. Cake requires juice from ½ and the zest from ¾. Drizzle needs juice from ½ and zest from ¼.

2 blood oranges. Cake requires juice from 1 and the zest from 1½. Drizzle needs juice from 1 and zest from ½.

3 clementines. Assuming they’re small ones, otherwise two. Cake requires juice from 1 and zest from 2. The drizzle needs the juice of 2 and the zest of 1.

½ grapefruit. Cake requires juice from ¼ and the zest from ½. Drizzle needs juice from ¼ and no zest.

8-10 calamansi / calamondins (depending on size). Cake requires juice from half of the fruit and the zest from all but two. Drizzle needs juice from half of the fruit and zest from just two.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 2853kcal | Carbohydrates: 455g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 111g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 1796mg | Fiber: 36g | Sugar: 241g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 127mg | Calcium: 503mg | Iron: 12mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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