Pink Strawberry Cake
[Vegan]

For the cakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°F and line three 6 inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan 'buttermilk'.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the melted coconut oil into the 'buttermilk' and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
6. Add in a drop of pink food coloring and gently mix.
7. Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
8. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 28-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
9. Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully. Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

For the Strawberry Compote:

1. Slice the strawberries and place into a medium-sized saucepan along with the sugar and water.
2. Place the saucepan onto the hob and heat on medium until the strawberries soften. Make sure to keep the mixture moving to prevent any burning.
3.  Once the strawberries are soft, mash them with a fork to break them up, and allow the mixture to cook and thicken. This will take around 5-10 minutes.
4. Once thick and jam-like, take off the heat and allow to cool fully before using.

For the Buttercream:

1. In a bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in the icing sugar. I use a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment.
2. Add in the strawberry compote and whizz up until combined. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if too thick.
3. Stack and fill the cake with the buttercream then crumb coat the whole cake with the buttercream and pop into the fridge to set. This will take around 1 hour.