Vegan Baking Mishap

On slightly cold yet nicely sunny Saturday, I decided to try my hand at a vegan cake. I thought I was fool-proof. I used chickpea water and I worked from a basic sponge cake ration. I added no flavoring other than the oh so important vanilla.

My steps were as follows:

1. Whip 8 oz sugar with 8 oz of chickpeas water. To a stiff peak of course

2. Add the vanilla

3. Fold in the flour.

4. Pour into a pan and bake at 350 degrees.

Now it came out looking great! It had risen evenly and it felt spongey. I moved on to my vegan chocolate buttercream while it cooled and was very excited to see how it all came out.

Fast forward about 2 hours. The buttercream was done and I did my decorating. My latest endeavor has been mastering pipe work so this was more an excuse to try a new piping tip! Anyway I digress, I decorate the top of the single layer of cake and then I slice into it!

This is where it gets weird. It is rubbery and dense. There are pockets of air but it feels damp in the mouth and as if I am chewing sugary bread.

After some cursory research, it looks like baking powder might actually be required without eggs. I hadn't though much of it because I have not used baking powder on cake since before I graduated high school in 2017. I haven't even had to use cream of tarter for my angel food cakes, but alas!

I have a feeling a little less sugar and a little more acid are in order for the next round of vegan baking!