Karotten-Zucchini-Kuchen (vegan carrot and zucchini cake)

Method

1. Stir the vinegar into the oat milk and set aside for 5 minutes; it will thicken slightly, standing in for buttermilk.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt together in one bowl.
3. Whisk the sugar and oil into the soured oat milk, then fold in the dry ingredients just until combined.
4. Fold in the grated carrot, squeezed zucchini and walnuts, if using.
5. Pour into a lined 26 cm springform and bake at 175°C for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
6. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• Squeezing the zucchini dry matters as much here as in any zucchini cake. Skipped, the extra water unbalances the batter and the centre bakes gummy.
• The vinegar and baking soda together are what give this cake its lift, standing in for the reaction eggs and baking powder alone would otherwise provide. Do not leave either out.
• Do not overmix once the flour goes in. A vegan batter like this is already working harder than an egg-based one to hold air; overmixing knocks that air back out.
• It keeps for 4 days at room temperature, wrapped, and the flavour if anything improves on day two.

Ingredient substitutions

• Oat milk can be any plant milk; soy milk curdles most readily with vinegar and gives the closest result to a dairy buttermilk.
• Walnuts can be pecans, or omitted for a nut-free cake.
• For a frosted version, beat 200 g vegan cream cheese alternative with 60 g icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon, and spread over the fully cooled cake.
• A handful of raisins, folded in with the carrot and zucchini, is a common traditional addition.