Hi, how are you?

 

Emerging from a bit of radio silence with a pair of cakes that tease the start of this new season—one bright and buoyant, the other darker, floral, just on the edge of moody. Both vegan, and so delicious.

 

The first comes from my sweet friend Laura of The First Mess—a lemon loaf dressed in the season’s earliest strawberries, in a tahini-sumac-studded glaze. It tastes like sunshine. The second is my own—devil’s food cake layered with black tea ganache and a raspberry rose compote—like winter on the verge of spring. It’ll be featured in Laura’s always-inspiring Saturday newsletter, which I return to often– her recipes, rituals, routines are really grounding for me. 

 

I’ve been chipping away at my first cookbook, which as it turns out is a remarkably slow and sometimes intense process, and I’m letting it take the time it needs. 

 

Beyond the hustle of this opportunity, I’m settling into my first spring in Vancouver, dreaming ahead to the cherry blossoms, to photographing this book with Allegra, to August cake workshops on the Sunshine Coast (more on that soon), to all the mess and the magic to be made this year.

 

There’s so much to look forward to. But for now—cake, always.

glimmering photos by Laura, of course 

Note: For the dairy-free yogurt, I recommend using a thick one with a decent amount of fat that tastes tangy and delicious on its own. Here in Canada, my go-to brands are Yoggu and Simpla.

1 cup (198 grams) cane sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup (120 ml) plain vegan yogurt

½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened soy milk

½ cup (120 ml) sunflower oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups + 2 tablespoons (248 grams) all-purpose flour

2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

 

1 cup (114 grams) powdered sugar

3-4 strawberries, stems removed and chopped

½ teaspoon sumac

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon tahini

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8x4 loaf tin with parchment.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest through the sugar until very fragrant. Then, add the lemon juice, yogurt, soy milk, sunflower oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine, breaking up any yogurt lumps.

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to evenly mix. Then, add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir everything together until you have a thick batter. Avoid overmixing.

 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, slightly puffed up, and the internal temperature is around 200°F, around 45-50 minutes. Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack.

 

 

To make the glaze, place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the strawberries, sumac and water to a small skillet and place it over medium heat. Once the strawberries start to soften and let off juice, gently mash them with a spatula. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly in the pan, just add additional splashes of water. Once the strawberries are mushy and you have about 2 tablespoons of liquid in the pan, take them off the heat to cool slightly.

 

Run the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing down on the strawberries with a spatula to get as much liquid as you can.

 

Measure out 2 tablespoons of the strawberry liquid into the bowl with the powdered sugar. Then, add the lemon juice and tahini. Use a whisk to slowly bring the mixture together until you have a thick, but still pourable, glaze.

 

Remove the cooled lemon loaf from the pan and place it directly on the wire rack. Spoon the glaze evenly over the loaf, spreading it with the back of the spoon. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.

 

& because you're so sweet, a chocolate cake recipe, for when you're feeling extra decadent/balanced/inspired! Sign up for Laura's newsletter & get it straight to your inbox this Saturday.