Delicious & light this Raspberry Cake recipe is both vegan & gluten free yet you wouldn't guess it. Not overly sweet, packed with fresh berry goodness, moist and nutty thanks to ground almonds! Perfect little treat!
You know how much I love easy traybakes and this Raspberry Cake is just that. It is a perfect cake to throw together and into the oven when you fancy a little treat or are expecting guests but don't want to spend lots of time in the kitchen on anything too fancy and complicated. This is just the recipe!
Raspberry Cake - super versatile & adaptable traybake!
I first made this raspberry and almond cake for a garden get together with my friends one of whom is gluten intolerant hence gluten-free take on it.
I have since made it using regular flour and it worked just as well. Read on for specific details regarding ingredients & substitutions.
Another great thing about this cake is that you can swap and change the fruit as per your liking. I must say raspberry version is by far my favourite but I have made it with blueberries and blackberries and they were both really delicious. I think next time I will be trying some fresh mixed berries to jazz things up a bit.
Do I need to use gluten-free flour to bake this cake?
No you don't! If you don't need for this cake to be gluten-free simply substitute gluten-free flour with 150g plain (all-purpose) flour and 50g corn flour.
The reason I use corn flour here is to give this cake that bit of extra lightness and to help it rise too. I haven't tested this cake without corn flour but you could leave it out and use 200g plain flour instead.
Can I use round cake tin to bake this Raspberry Cake?
Absolutely! I've used my favourite springform style rectangular cake tin* with leakproof edge (28x18cm) but if you wanted to use round tin instead I would suggest going for 24cm/9inch one* as an equivalent. I find the round springform with leakproof edge the most versatile especially when dealing with cake batters of runny consistency.
I like using rectangular/traybake style baking tins because I find cakes baked in them much easier to portion. This raspberry cake recipe yields 8 large servings but I often cut them into small, almost bite size squares or rectangles especially when feeding more people.
Helpful tips for Raspberry Cake success!
- Mix both dry and wet ingredients really well in their separate bowls first which will allow very little mixing once combined together and prevent overmixing the batter.
- Make sure you add the sugar into the wet ingredients. As vegan cakes don't rely on eggs to help them rise, incorporating sugar really well into wet ingredients allows less mixing later which equals lighter and fluffier cake!
- Add dry ingredients into the wet ones. I found this way allows for even less batter mixing and again lighter and fluffier end result!
- Have you noticed a pattern yet? It's all about NOT OVERMIXING THE BATTER! (apologies for shouting)
- Once you've mixed your batter make sure you act quickly and get your cake into the oven as soon as possible. The reason for that is that as soon as you combine wet and dry ingredients, the vinegar will start reacting with raising agents and you want to take advantage of that and get the nice rise on your cake. The longer you wait the less rise you get!
- Don't be tempted to use frozen fruits in this cake as they will bleed into the batter and will result in heavier and denser cake.
- When checking your cake for doneness with a skewer, make sure you avoid raspberries as they might give you a false reading. This cake should take between 30-40 minutes to bake depending on your oven.
Serving suggestions + storing & freezing Raspberry Cake!
When it comes to this cake I like it best as is and without any additions (maybe with the exception of a light dusting of icing sugar). It's such a light and summery cake it really doesn't need any help and you want the flavour of these beautiful Summer berries to shine through.
Having said that, it is of course entirely up to you lovely readers and if you fancy having it with a side of ice cream then go for it, I won't tell!
This vegan raspberry cake will keep in the airtight container and out of the fridge for up to 2-3 days max providing it is not too hot. If you are worried it might go bad, keep it in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving.
This cake is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Make sure you secure it well before freezing to prevent freezer burn.
How to make Raspberry Cake - Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and prepare your baking tin* by greasing it lightly and lining the bottom with some baking paper.
- Put flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest (if using) in a large bowl and give them a good mix. I tend to use a small baloon whisk* here to imitate sifting.
- In another large bowl mix together all your wet ingredients (oat milk, yogurt, oil, vinegar) and caster sugar (yes, it does belong to wet ingredients). Make sure you give it all a good mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients and mix in gently only until just combined. It is important not to overmix your batter here.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and very gently distribute your fresh raspberries on top of the batter, pushing them ever so slightly into it.
- Next, sprinkle over some flaked almonds and quickly put your cake in the oven. Bake it 30-40 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cake sit in a tin for 10-15 minutes before taking it out onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
Have you tried my Raspberry Cake recipe?
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More delicious cake recipes you might want to try
White Chocolate & Raspberry Blondies
Dorset Apple Cake (Traybake)
Coffee and Walnut Traybake (Vegan)
Strawberry Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Banana Cake (Traybake)
Italian Plum & Almond Cake with Amaretti Biscuits
📋 Recipe
Raspberry Cake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 g gluten-free flour see notes for non gluten-free substitution
- 150 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 160 g caster sugar or golden caster sugar
- 250 ml oat milk or any other plant milk you like
- 130 g plain plant based yogurt I use Alpro Plain Soya yogurt
- 85 ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 200 g fresh raspberries or berries of choice
- zest of one lemon optional
- large handful of almond flakes
- icing sugar to serve optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and prepare your baking tin by greasing it lightly and lining the bottom with some baking paper.
- Put flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest (if using) in a large bowl and give them a good mix. I tend to use a small baloon whisk here to imitate sifting.
- In another large bowl mix together all your wet ingredients (oat milk, yogurt, oil, vinegar) and caster sugar (yes, it does belong to wet ingredients). Make sure you give it all a good mix until all of the ingredients all really well combined.
- Add dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients and mix in gently only until just combined. It is important not to overmix your batter here.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and very gently distribute your fresh raspberries on top of the batter, pushing them ever so slightly into it.
- Next, sprinkle over some flaked almonds and quickly put your cake in the oven. Bake it 30-40 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cake sit in a tin for 10-15 minutes before taking it out onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 8 servings) and should be treated as a guideline only.
- If you don't need for your cake to be gluten-free simply substitute gluten-free flour with 150g plain (all-purpose) flour and 50g corn flour. I haven’t tested this cake without corn flour but you could leave it out and use 200g plain flour instead.
- Store your cake in the airtight container for 2-3 days if it's not too hot. In hot temperatures keep it in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
- Mix both your dry and wet ingredients really well in their separate bowls first which will allow very minimal mixing once combined and prevent overmixing your batter.
- Make sure you add your sugar into the wet ingredients. As vegan cakes don't rely on eggs to help them rise, incorporating your sugar really well into wet ingredients will allow on less mixing later which equals lighter and fluffier cake!
- Add dry ingredients into the wet ones. I found this way allows for even less batter mixing and again lighter and fluffier end result!
- Once you've mixed your batter make sure you act quickly and get your cake into the oven as soon as possible. The reason for that is that as soon as you combine wet and dry ingredients, the vinegar will start reacting with your raising agents and you want to take advantage of that to get the nice rise on your cake. The longer you wait the less rise you get!
- Don't be tempted to use frozen fruits in this cake as they will bleed into the batter and will result in heavier and denser cake.
- When checking your cake for doneness with a skewer, make sure you avoid raspberries as they might give you a false reading. This cake should take between 30-40 minutes to bake depending on your oven.
Barb says
This cake looks good. As with so many gluten free recipies this one contains nuts. My daughter cant eat nuts - do you know if it can be made without the almond please .
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Barb, I have never tried it without ground almonds and as there is quite a substantial amount in this recipe, direct replacement with equal amount of flour might not be the best solution. You might want to give it ago and see what happens but it will be a bit of a gamble. If you decide to go for it, I would also use some almond essence/extract (they're actually nut-free) to preserve the flavour lost by removing ground almonds. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Katherine says
Hi can you leave the vinegar out ?
Thank you
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Katherine, It should be fine as we are using yogurt in the cake as well so it should not affect the rise of the cake much. Alternatively, you can substitute vinegar with equal amount of lemon juice. Hope that helps.
Eline says
It was sooo good, made it for Valentine. I replaced the oil with applesauce and it came out perfect, I also reduced the sugar and replaced 80gms with Stevia. My family loved it and they're not vegan ;-). I served with a cashew coconut cream, simply divine ! thank u so much
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Eline, Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! So happy to hear it was such a success! 🙂 x