Things This Sweet Should Be Against the Law

Cakes this large should really be against the law. I'm not really sure what it was that possessed me to double the recipe and almost send myself into cardiac arrest due cake overload. The slices from this little monster are what you'd expect at that cafe around the corner that sells generous slices of your favourite butter cake to go with that generous cup of coffee -- totalling nearly $10. Oh but wait, you get to read the paper while you enjoy you dose of sugar and caffeine for the day all while following your vegan diet.

Yes dear readers, this cake is vegan. It's a vegan vanilla pound cake with a lime glaze to be exact -- courtesy of the April issue of Vegetarian Times.

Upon close inspection we can observe the golden crust that forms a ring around the entire loaf, that golden crust is what I used to save for last when I was a child (that dark spot in the centre is just my big head casting a shadow). I was so excited when it was cool enough to eat that I served myself a very generous cafe-style slice (which was followed by a much thinner waist-line conscious slice). Mistake. This cake is to be enjoyed slowly, perhaps with a bit of green tea or other herbal tea. It's sweet, it's moist and it's just darn good.

Vegan Vanilla Pound Cake with Lime Glaze -- adapted from Vegetarian Times
(all ingredients are measured using a scale; half this recipe for a smaller cake)
280 g silken firm tofu
200 ml vanilla soy milk
165 ml canola oil
250 g raw sugar
20 ml vanilla extract
450 g plain flour
10 g baking soda
12 g baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 180º C. Combine tofu, soy milk, oil, vanilla extract and sugar; beat or blend until smooth.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and mix thoroughly. Fold the tofu mix into the flour mix.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 180º C for 30 minutes, then cover with grease-proof paper and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. To make the glaze combine the juice of 1 lime with enough icing sugar to create a white paste with enough consistency to coat the back of a spoon rather thickly. It should also be able to run off the spoon more or less freely.
5. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan and allow to cool for a further 5 minutes on a cooling rack before drizzling the glaze. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving to allow the glaze to fully set.