Birthday Cakes

These two recipes can either be made as described, or used as a basis for creative birthday cake making e.g. bake in square cake tins, cut into blocks and over with coloured icing to make cars or trains. Add vegan chocolate biscuits for wheels, liquorice for bumpers, Whizzers (Smarties look-alikes) for door handles, etc. Alternatively, bake in a round tin and decorate with coloured icing to make a clown's face. Vegan cakes can be as imaginative and exciting as any non-vegan counterpart!

Plain Sponge Cake

125g margarine
75-100g raw cane sugar
250g self raising wholemeal flour, sieved
3 tsp baking powder
275ml vanilla soya dessert or custard
1/4 tsp almond essence and/or vanilla essence
Pinch of sea salt
Soya milk

1. Over a low heat dissolve margarine and sugar. Allow to cool.
2. In separate bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add margarine mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. Add soya dessert or custard and essence. A soft dropping consistency is required, so add extra soya milk if necessary.
3. Place in two square baking tins and bake at 180C, 350F or gas mark4 for 25-35 mins or until cooked.
4. Remove from oven and cool a little before removing from tins. Remove from tins and cool completely on wire tray.
5. Sandwich with jam or 'butter' icing made with vegan margarine and icing sugar (see recipe below). Cover with Regalice ready-to-roll icing, which is available in different colours. Place animal or cartoon character shapes on top.

Chocolate Cake

200g self raising wholemeal flour
2 heaped tsp baking powder
25g cocoa
75g Barbados sugar
100ml vegetable oil
550-750ml cold water
1 bar vegan plain chocolate
1 packet Whizzers dairy Free Chocolate Beans (Smarties look-alikes)

1. Place all ingredients except chocolate and Whizzers in food processor. Mix thoroughly for a few seconds.
2. Place mixture in greased tin and bake for 30 mins at 180C, 350F or gas mark 4 in two round cake tins.
3. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little before removing from tin. Remove from tin and cool completely on wire rack.
4. Melt bar of chocolate in a double bowl and spread on top of cake. Allow to set overnight for best results.
5. Mix icing sugar with a little hot water to a soft consistency. Ice top of the cake with HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Place Whizzers around the edge of top of cake.

'Butter' Icing

50g margarine
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Beat margarine and icing sugar until creamy. Add flavouring and beat again. Use as filling for sponge cakes.