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This Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce recipe is especially for the lovers of fennel. It yields a seasonal cake that is perfect for the holidays. If you’d like another holiday cake recipe that isn’t centered around fennel, please check out my Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Spongecake recipe. It’s a part of my 12 Months of Dim Sum project which is a collection of dim sum recipes I put together throughout the year just in time for Christmas.
This Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce recipe is veganized and adapted from the Fennel Upside-Down Cake by the famous Giada di Laurentiis.
The star ingredient of this Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce is, of course, fennel. The fennel I used for this recipe was in my Milkrun box and sourced from Groundwork Organics in Junction City, Oregon.
In Giada’s upside-down fennel cake recipe, the flour listed isnt specified but is only listed as “flour” but I generally take that to mean good ol’ all-purpose flour. However, I consistently have better luck with cakes when I use cake flour instead.
Giada also uses eggs in her recipe and I, of course, replace it in my Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce with the usual aquafaba. Instead of a raspberry sauce, I opted for lingonberry because, in my mind, it just seems more fitting for the winter holidays.
So how do we make our Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce?
We preheat the oven to 350° F and grease a 9-inch springform pan with a teaspoon of olive oil.
To make the topping:
In a medium saucepan, we dissolve the sugar in water and then add the fennel bulb slices, salt and lemon juice. We simmer for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to only ¼ the amount.
When done, we spread the fennel topping evenly on the bottom of the springform pan. We want it as evenly as possible because that bottom is going to be on top when we flip the cake in the end. Once its evenly at the bottom, we set it aside.
To make the cake:
In a medium bowl, we whisk together the cake flour, organic cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
In a large bowl, we whisk together the unsweetened vegan milk, aquafaba, olive oil, lemon zest and ground fennel seeds.
We will add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the large bowl and whisk until just combined. Then we carefully pour the cake batter into the springform pan evenly over the sweet fennel topping that’s already in there. Be careful to not disturb the fennel topping.
Place in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, we make the lingonberry sauce. In a small bowl, we whisk together lingonberry jam, lemon juice and two tablespoons of water.
Now we have our Fennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce almost ready to eat!
When the cake is cool, cut and serve. On each slice of cake, add lingonberry sauce and sprinkle with fennel fronds before serving.
PrintFennel Cake with Lingonberry Sauce
Easy fennel cake recipe for fennel lovers! This recipe is veganized and adapted from the Upside-Down Fennel Cake recipe by Giada di Laurentiis.
Ingredients
Fennel topping:
- ½ cup or 111 grams organic cane sugar
- 2 small or 1 large bulbs fennel, halved and thinly sliced into moons
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon or 13 grams lemon juice
Fennel Cake:
- 1 cup or 128 gram cake flour
- ½ cup or 111 grams organic cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsweetened soy milk, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba, room temperature
- ⅔ cup good olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for greasing pan
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground fennel seed (omit if sharing with loved ones who aren’t hardcore fennel lovers)
Lingonberry Sauce:
- ⅓ cup organic lingonberry jam
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Fennel fronds, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9″ springform pan with a teaspoon olive oil.
For the fennel topping:
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat. Dissolve the organic cane sugar in ¾ cup water, stirring regularly with a non-reactive spoon. Add the fennel, kosher salt and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to 25%. Turn off heat and carefully spread the fennel evenly over the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Carefully set aside.
For the cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, organic cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
- In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the unsweetened vegan milk, aquafaba, good olive oil, lemon zest and ground fennel seeds.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter evenly over the candied fennel. Place in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate to cool completely.
For the sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lingonberry jam, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons warm water.
When cake is cool, cut into slices and top each slice with a spoonful of the lingonberry sauce and fennel fronds on top.
Notes
- To keep it vegan, all sugar must be organic – including the sugar in the lingonberry jam.
- This recipe is for fennel enthusiasts. If sharing with people who aren’t familiar with fennel, omit the ground fennel seeds in the cake batter.
