Strawberry Cream Cake

If you're a strawberry lover, this is the perfect cake to either treat yourself with or bring to a party! The strawberry icing is wonderfully sticky, while the icing is fresh and light, topped with delicious strawberries. It's the perfect summer cake.

Cake Ingredients:

100g plain flour

300g ground almonds

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

300ml maple syrup

Water from 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas (not the chickpeas themselves)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Strawberry Jam:

400g strawberries

5 tbsp sugar

Icing:

1 cup cashews (soaked)

1/2 cup almond milk (may need to keep adding extra almond milk bit by bit to get desired consistency)

2 tbsp coconut cream

1 tbsp maple syrup

Juice 1 lemon

1/2 tsp turmeric

Toppings:

Large handful of strawberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C or 390F. Line two 23cm cake tins with parchment paper.

2. Soak 1 cup of cashews for the icing so that they are soft by the time you need to use them. If they are not soft enough, you can always pour boiling water over the cashews and let it sit for 5 minutes. Leave to the side while you make the cake mixture.

3. In a large bowl, mix the ground almond, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, lemon zest and stir well. Once the mixture is combined well, add in the liquid ingredients: juice of 1 lemon, water from chickpea tin and maple syrup. Give it another good stir so there are no lumps left.

4. Divide the batter by evenly distributing it into both cake tins and bake for 20 minutes. Make sure it is cooked throughout by placing a knife in the center of the cakes. Once ready, leave them out to cool.

5. For the icing, place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. You may need to add more almond milk, bit by bit until you reach your desired consistency. Once the icing is done, place in the fridge until it's ready to spread.

6. Now for the strawberry jam, place all of the ingredients into a blender and then add the mixture to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. This should take around 10 - 15 minutes. Once it is thick enough, leave it aside to cool.

7. Once both cakes are cool, spread the jam over one and place the other on top. Then spread the icing on the top.

8. To decorate, cut a handful of fresh strawberries in half and then place on top of the icing.