VEGAN-EGGLESS "SPONGE CAKE"..WITH FRESH BERRIES RECIPE..also great idea for bar cookies too

I love this cake, this is something I grew up with in the North of England, where  it formed the topping to a "cake slice".
There it was made with regular margarine, not Vegan.
There it was baked in a pie shell with apricot jam between the pastry and the cake.
Here I am serving it as a "sponge" sandwich cake with fresh berries and strawberry preserves.
Adding fresh slices of berries of strawberry preserves (jam) makes a wonderful treat, and a beautifully flavored filling to any cake.

This same recipe works well for the cake slice or for a more "traditional" looking  sandwich cake .


Preheat oven 350f  middle to higher  shelf


2 x 8inch circular sandwich cake/layer  pans lightly greased with vegan margarine or vegetable oil and lined with parchment


2 cups whole wheat flour
4tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
7 tbsp safflower (neutral) oil
1 cup cold water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves
1 cup sliced fresh berries

Sugar for dusting


Mix all dry ingredients together  in one bowl  set aside

In another bowl, mix the sugar, water, oil, &  vanilla and mix well to dissolve the sugar, then add to the dry ingredients and mix well for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, to beat int he liquid to the wheat bran.
Scrape down the bowl then divide into both the pans and smooth the surface.
Bake in oven 25-30 mins until firm to touch.

remove and set on wire rack, to cool in their pans

When cook enough to handle, flip out of pans onto wire rack, cool completely.
Remove parchment.
Place 1 sponge onto a serving plate and spread with strawberry preserves and sliced fruit, then top with second layer, pressing down slightly.
Dust with confectioners sugar or brown sugar and decorate with fresh berries

For the Cake slices.bake the vegan pastry base, blind, in a 9 x 13x2inch ovenproof dish in a 375f oven for 20 mins.
Allow to cool slightly then spread with fruit preserve of choice ( I DO like apricot, with some dried apricot pieces added)
reduce oven temp to 350F

Top the fruit layer with  the cake mix, and bake for 30-35 mins or until the cake is firm.
Remove from oven and cool in dish on a wire.
Cut into bars/slices when cool sprinkle with powdered sugar


Variations on the sponge cake recipe:

For a chocolate cake replace 2tbsp flour with 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, and mix this with the liquid before adding to the dry.

For orange or lemon flavored add the zest of a lemon or orange to the dry mix before adding the wet.

For coffee flavored sponge, replace 2 tsp instant coffee with 2 tsp flour, again mix the coffee with the liquid before adding to the dry.

For spice cake..great with a lemon/orange/ginger marmalade ..add 1 tsp (any combination) ground ginger/cinnamon/cardamon/coriander/allspice to the dry mix

Ground cinnamon (1 tsp added to dry mix) cake is great with a filling of apple butter