This is a special vegan cake that’s an impressive dessert for dinner guests. The custard and fruit make a delightful topping that’s fat-free and looks like you toiled for hours over it.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6-8

　　

CAKE

1 cup barley flour

　　1/2 cup oat flour

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1/4 cup canola oil

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

　　1/4 cup firm silken tofu

　　1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

　　1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

　　

CUSTARD

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk

　　1 tablespoon agar flakes

　　1 cup sliced peaches, fresh or frozen

　　3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

　　2 teaspoons vanilla extract

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　

TOPPING

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced in half lengthwise

　　1 cup peach nectar (no sugar added)

　　2 tablespoons light agave nectar

　　1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon agar flakes

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Oil an 8-inch-square baking pan with canola oil spray.

　　

Step 2

Sift together the barley flour, oat flour, and baking powder. In a food processor, blend the canola oil, agave nectar, soy milk, tofu, vanilla extract, and orange zest until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 1 hour.

　　

Step 3

To prepare the custard, mix the soy milk and agar flakes in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Decrease the heat and simmer about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the agar flakes have dissolved, stirring occasionally. Place the peaches, arrowroot powder, vanilla extract, and agave nectar in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add this to the agar mixture in the saucepan and mix together. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low and simmer until thickened. While still hot, pour the mixture over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

　　

Step 4

To prepare the topping, arrange the strawberry halves decoratively over the top of the cake. In a saucepan, add the peach nectar, agave nectar, and agar flakes and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring often, about 5 to 7 minutes, until the agar flakes have dissolved. Slowly pour the hot nectar mixture over the strawberries on the cake and refrigerate about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.