Vegan Orange and Pineapple Cake with (non-diary) Cream frosting

The final post under the theme Vegan/Gluten-free/Paleo genre is this pretty pineapple and orange cake. This cake was originally made for the Bake-a-thon, the baking marathon we did in December 2018. But unfortunately i couldnt do the last day post and it was this cake. Though i baked the cake 2 days earlier, i couldn't take proper pictures of the cake that time. Thankfully, since i had them in the drafts, i m posting it today. Actually all of my posts this week are from my drafts. 

Today's cake is full of flavors, every bite bursting with pineapples and sweet oranges. This was one of most appreciated flavors at home. My hubby always  love my bakes, so, it is my kids feedback, i take seriously. My elder one loved the flavor combination, the younger one as usual didnt want pineapple pieces in his cake. So he left them all out and enjoyed the sponge and the cream.  I wanted to frosting to look like a tropical themed cake with yellow and spots of green here and there, I tried my best to present that theme. 

Ingredients

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
300 ml orange juice
1 tinned pineapple chunks (i used libby's 570grams tin)
½ cup oil
1 teaspoon orange zest

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease two 5 inch pans and lay them with parchment.
• In a wide bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar to this and whisk well.
• Drain the pineapple chunks and reserve the sugar syrup, we can use it to soak the sponge if you are frosting this cake.
• Add ¾ of the pineapple chunks into the flour-sugar mix and mix well. By adding the chunks to flour mix, we evenly distribute the fruit in the cake.
• In another large bowl, take orange juice, add oil and zest to this and whisk well into a smooth liquid. I used to my electric whisk to do this.
• To this liquid add the flour-mix in three batches and mix using a spatuala. Take care not mix vigorouosly. See to that you don't leave any white flour traces. 
• Divide the batter amongst the two cake pans. Tap the cake pans twice or thrice on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes, then slowly remove the cake from pan and let it sit on the wire rack and cool completely.
• Now if you are not planning to frost the cake, slice when it is warm and serve. Since i was planning to frost the cake, i let it cool completely on the wire rack, wrapped in plastic wrap and returned it to the refrigerator.

For the Frosting200ml non-diary whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup icing sugar
2-3 drops of Gel food colors Forest green and lemon yellow

Method

• Take the whipping cream in a large bowl, add icing sugar and anilla extract and using a electric beater, beat for 6-8 minutes until stiff peaks forms. I usually make my cream at the last minute, just before frosting my cake. 
• Once done, keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator until you get your cakes ready on the table for frosting.

• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. If the top is uneven or crusty, torte the top. Remember we reserved the syrup from the pineapple tin, keep it ready by the side.
• In a cake board or a flat plate, put a blob of cream in the center, this will hold the cake in place while we fill and frost them.
• Spread half of the sugar solution on top of the sponge, this keeps the cake soft. Add a thick layer of frosting on top. Spread it to cover the entire cake surface, do not forget the edges.
• Now stack the second cake on top of this with its bottom facing the top. Spread the sugar solution on top of the cake.
• Now add a thick layer of frosting on top and crumb coat the sides. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes for the crumb coat to set.
• Now divide the rest of the cream into two portions, add green color to one and yellow to another. Fill the cream in two separate piping bags and keep in the fridge until you use them.
• After 10 minutes remove the cake and the piping bags from the fridge, Snipe the end of the piping bag,  pipe the yellow first, then pipe the green here and there around the cake. Once you finish the sides, smoothen it with a offset spatula dipped in warm water. Once you are done with the sides, Pipe the cream on the top, alternating green and yellow and smoothen using the offset spatuala.

• Let the cake sit in the refrigerator for atleast 10 minutes for the frosting to set. If the cake is refrigerated for more time, remember to take it out atleast an hour or two before you slice and enjoy.