Rebecca's Cakes; the Vegan Cake Girl & an Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake recipe!

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Before departing for London, I was surprised to receive a note on Flickr asking if I'd like to sample some vegan baked goods while overseas. Being a gal with an intense sweet tooth & a love for reviewing what the vegan world has to offer, how could I say no?! Enter Rebecca; the Vegan Cake Girl. Shortly after I arrived in London, I received a notice that a box was waiting for me at the post office. My jaw dropped when I spied the large box she had sent to me; it contained a selection of baked goods from breakfast items to cakes, not to mention candies, cute little pins, & suggestions on where to find tasty vegan goods in the UK.

When looking at her website you'll see this is just a small sampling of what Rebecca does. Cupcakes, cakes, trifles, puddings, brownies, cheesecakes, & even Petit Fours are on the menu! Additionally, she does cake mixes for the less baking inclined & catering for events. Here are my thoughts on what I sampled by Rebecca's Cakes, once again using my dessert rating system.

Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake- This sweet, fluffy, moist cake was just a bit bready & had wonderful marbled gooey parts. The orange zest throughout was lovely & it was topped with a delicious chocolate shell. It had a great flavor & my friends raved about it so much, I sent them one as a thank you for letting us stay with them! 4 ½ stars

Plum & Pine Nut Muffins- A fluffy & not-too-sweet muffin with soft pieces of plum baked in & toothsome pine nuts on top. It made for an interesting combination & the sweetness seemed to mainly come from the plums. I can't say this is a flavor combination I would pick out for myself, but nonetheless, it was not a bad muffin at all. 3 stars


Sticky Toffee Pudding- This bready, not super sweet cake contained dates & was spongy & soft. The butterscotch sauce was very sweet & had a nice burnt sugar taste. I couldn't help but steal a bit of the topping to put on Swedish Glace ice cream & it was great! I found the cake tasted best when covered in the sauce & soaked through, which made it pretty addictive! 3¾ stars

Croissants- "Buttery" & a bit wheaty & mild with a nice outer flakiness & fluffiness, while the inside was a bit more bready & savory tasting. It was nice, but I'm not sure I was ever a croissant person, so I wasn't bowled over. They reminded me a bit of the flaky dinner rolls that come in tubes. 3 stars

Maple Pecan Danish Pastry- A nice, hearty wheat, yet sweet & fluffy pastry with great maple flavor & a tasty drizzle over the top. The center contained whole pecans which Ryan loved & wished for more of. This would be very nice warmed up! 3¾ stars

Blueberry Waffles- These hearty, but still light blueberry laced waffles were perfect reheated in the toaster to start my mornings off. They had a nice wheat taste, almost like a digestive biscuit, & inspired me to make some waffles for freezing at home for a quick breakfast! 4 stars

Rebecca was kind enough to share the Jaffa Orange Drizzle cake recipe for my readers, so now you can enjoy it as much as I did! The measurements are in grams or ounces, so break out those kitchen scales or use a conversion calculator. Trust me, it's worth it!

Rebecca's Cakes Vegan Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake
Ingredients:
140g / 5oz Vegan Margarine or Shortening, softened.
200g / 7oz Self Rising Flour (If you can't find this, use all purpose flour & increase the baking powder by 2 tsp.)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
200g Sugar
Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent to 3 eggs (4 1/2 tsp Ener-G with 6 Tbsp water, blended)
6 Tbsp Soy or Rice Milk
Zest of 1 Big Juicy Orange

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (160 degrees centigrade).

Mix all of the ingredients using an electric mixer until they're light & fluffy.
When you lift the paddle the batter should drop easily, if it's a little stiff, add a bit more milk.

Pour the batter into a greased & lined loaf tin.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

When the cake is cooked take it out of the oven & pierce all over with a skewer or cake tester & immediately make the Orange Syrup.

Orange Syrup
the Juice of 1 Big Juicy Orange
50g/2oz sugar

Bring the juice of the orange & the sugar to a boil in a small pan.

Pour over the cake immediately & leave to cool completely. If you try & cut it while warm the syrup will make the cake fall apart!!

Once the cake has completely cooled, melt 50g/2oz of the finest, darkest chocolate you can find & drizzle it over the cake! Et Voilà!

Overall, I was thrilled with my chance to taste test this array of lovely baked goods. If you live in UK, have a friend there, or are taking a trip there, do yourself a favor & order some vegan desserts from Rebecca. She ships within the UK, has pick up available in North London, & is as sweet as her treats!