Happy Independence Day

Independence Day is a big event around here, with lots of nostalgia. I met my husband 27 years ago on the 4th of July, and he proposed 14 years later... on the 4th of July. Moral of the story...choose carefully who your kids spend their time with...even when they are 8! This dairy-free and egg-free flag cake is a revision on my mother-in-law's traditional cake, and I think it may rival the original!

The cake is a double batch of the Shuna Fish Lydon's caramel cake, baked in two small jelly roll pans ( 9 x 12). You could bake it in a big jelly roll pan, but the center might not set as well, and you'd have to serve it out of the pan as it would probably break while removing it. I love this cake recipe. It is very dense, like a pound cake, due to the true butter cake technique of creaming butter and sugar and then alternating additions of flour and milk. The caramel syrup is what makes this so wonderful. It gives it a subtle, buttery flavor. I'm not one to lick beaters, but the batter is that good. The frosting is dairy-free cream cheese, which works quite well with the sweet cake. If you missed making this for 4th of July, don't fret, you can still make one to take to your next local anti-tax Tea Party.

Flag Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 sticks dairy-free margarine ( I used Fleischman's Unsalted Margarine)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Caramel Syrup (recipe below)
4 Ener-G egg replacers whipped until thick (I use an immersion blender)
Splash of vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup plain soymilk thickened with 2 T. cider vinegar


Preheat oven to 350F
Line two small jelly roll pans with parchment, and spray well with cooking spray.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream margarine until smooth.
2. Add sugar and salt, cream until light and fluffy. This takes forever, I'm not kidding.
3. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl.
4. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add egg replacers and vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
5. Sift flour and baking powder together.
6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the flour mixture.
7. When Incorporated, add half of the soymilk, a little at a time.
8. Add another third of the flour, then the other half of the soymilk and finish with the flour. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
9. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform.

Divide batter among the two pans. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from pan to a cooling rack as soon as you can, if it sits in the pan for too long, it gets really soggy. Cool cake completely before frosting.

Caramel Syrup

Sugar and water...this stuff is simply magical

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water 1 cup water for "stopping"

1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand.
2. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.
3. Turn on heat to highest flame.
4. Cook until rich amber. You can test the color by dabbing a bit on a white plate.
5. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and prepared to step back.
6. Whisk over medium heat until it the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has reduced slightly. It should be the sticky thickness of maple syrup or warm honey. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

1 tub Tofutti cream cheese (4 ounces, or 1/4 cup), softened
1 stick dairy-free margarine, softened( I use Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine)
1 t. vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

1.) Cream the Tofutti and margarine together with a hand mixer.
2.) Add the vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make the frosting as thick as you want.