the tolerant vegan

This past Thanksgiving weekend I was down for the count.

Last month my friend and I went on a work adventure to a magical land called Illinois.

That’s Kelly. She’s pretty awesome.

I stumbled upon an old issue of Midwest Living in our hotel and flipped through it as we watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills prepared for the next day’s meeting.

Inside I discovered a recipe for a Cranberry Layer Cake that had won an award and, more importantly, the key to my heart. I combined the ingredients from that recipe with the ingredients from Amy Sedaris’ vanilla cupcake recipe, veganized the whole thing and ta-da! A sheet cake was born.

Cranberry Pecan Sheet Cake
Cake recipe adapted from Amy Sedaris via Epicurious
and Midwest Living

Printable recipe

Cake ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
• 1 1/2 cups refined sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 2 tablespoons orange zest

Frosting ingredients:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup dairy-free cream cheese, softened (I used Trader Joe’s This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese)
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together the Earth Balance and refined sugar on low-medium speed until combined.

Stir in the applesauce, almond milk and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and flour.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until fully combined.

Stir in the vinegar and then gently fold in the cranberries

pecans

and orange zest.

Pour the batter into a 9×13″ pan

and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.

Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the frosting. To make the frosting, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix on low-medium speed until combined. Spread the frosting on the cake

and take a big bite!

Then take another big bite. And another. Now another.