Vietnamese Coffee Cake: Gluten-free, dairy-free, sweetened with honey.

National Coffee Cake Day is one of our favorite food holidays! It combines two of our favorite things coffee and cake. This time we threw all of our favorites at it by sweetening it purely with honey and putting a Vietnamese coffee twist on it.  

Vietnamese coffee is a big favorite over here. If you’ve never heard of it, the drink comprises very strong drip coffee paired with a spoon or two of sweetened condensed milk. 

We’ve made the frosting dairy free with the help of our Manuka Honey Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk recipe. Since creating it, we always keep some on hand for our coffee and tea. 

However, in the true spirit of the drink, the cake is very heavy on the coffee. You’ll get a good caffeine buzz, but that’s half the fun, right?

Use decaf if your answer is a resounding no!

If your answer is YES, try cold brew, which is even higher in caffeine.

We love sheet pan cakes because they require practically no skill in the cake-baking or decorating arena. We can’t all be Katherine Sabbath. Fun fact, our recipe developer had never baked a cake before this one. It looks impressive, doesn’t it?! 

So, let’s hear it. Would you make this cake? If you do, show it off by sharing it on Facebook and tagging us @shoppri! 

Vietnamese Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Serving: 9 slices

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, sifted (we used Bob’s Red Mill)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 tbsp espresso powder, sifted
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
• 1 cup PRI Manuka Honey 60+
• ½ cup olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup coffee (make sure it’s boiling, this will bring out the flavor)

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight)
• ¾ cup coconut cream (refrigerated overnight, only use the cream scrape off the top). You will need two cans
• ⅔ cup manuka honey-sweetened condensed coconut milk
• ⅔ cup dairy-free cream cheese
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp espresso powder (or more to taste)
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅛ tsp PRI Fine Sea Salt 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a large bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until combined.
3. Combine eggs, almond milk, manuka honey,  olive oil, and vanilla extract in another bowl. Whisk until combined and honey is incorporated well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms. 
5. Next, pour hot coffee into the batter and stir well. Don’t be alarmed if the batter is watery-thin.
6. Pour the cake batter into the parchment-lined pan and fill almost to the top. 
7. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Check periodically after the 45-minute mark with a toothpick until it comes out clean. Place aluminum foil over the top and lower the rack if the top begins to burn.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool before making the frosting, if using.
9. Place all the frosting ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth. If the batter is too thick, water it down with 1 tbsp of milk at a time, and if it’s too thin, add more cream cheese or coconut cream. Place it in the fridge to firm up, do not let it sit at room temperature, or it will begin to melt.
10. Frost the cake with icing after the cake has completely cooled, and top with sifted cocoa powder or espresso powder, coffee beans, or sprinkles of choice.
11. Enjoy!

We found out that you can make your own ACV using leftover apple cores and peels!! Minds blown, we immediately tried it ourselves, but using manuka honey instead of sugar…of course 😉

Replace your usual ACV shot with this manuka honey version to add even more benefits.Use this as a tasty base to your own teas, shrubs or cocktails like this immune & digestive supporting drink made by our friend Colleen: https://www.growforagecookferment.com/manuka-honey-vinegar-elixir/

You can even incorporate it into your beauty routine. Later this month we’ll share one of our favorite ACV cuticle oil recipes using our homemade vinegar so make sure to stay tuned!

No matter how you use it, this homemade ACV is another great way to easily incorporate manuka into your routine.

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar with Manuka Honey

What you need:

• Apple cores, peels, or chunks.
• PRI Manuka Honey 200+
• Mason Jar (a quart or half gallon)
• Filtered Water

Instructions:

1. Fill your mason jar 3/4 of the way with apple peels and cores.
2. Stir 2 tbsp of manuka honey into 2 cups of warm filtered water in a mason jar. Secure a lid and shake vigorously until the honey is dissolved. (If you’re making bigger batches 1 cup of manuka honey per gallo of water, or 1 tbsp per 1 cup of water)
3. Pour sweetened water over the apples and leave 2 to 3 inches of room at the top of the jar. How much water you need depends on the amount of apples used and the size of your container
4. Once the apples, water, and sugar are all combined, cover your container with a breathable material like a tea towel or cheesecloth. 
5. Set the mason jar in a location around 70 to 75°F, if possible. As this is the ideal temperature range for fermentation. The container of fermenting apples should also be kept in a dark location. Keep it out on the kitchen counter or by a window and cover it in a dark towel.
6. Stir the fermenting apples everyday for the first two weeks! In the first few days add some more honey to the mixture if needed. This part is very important as it ensures apples are rotating at the top and not exposed to air too long to grow mold. Stirring prevents mold. It’s okay if you miss a day or two but try to remember everyday during the first week.
7. You’ll notice the apples will start to turn brown and the liquid will become cloudy. Small bubbles should begin to appear like a carbonated drink, and it will start to smell a bit like hard apple cider. A layer of sediment may collect on the bottom of the glass and this is totally normal during the fermenting process. It’s pretty obvious what is mold and what is not. 
8. After two weeks you can stop stirring. Then, you can strain out the apple scraps from the liquid with a sieve and cheesecloth. You can then transfer the liquid to a smaller jar to ferment if you wish.
9. Cover the jar with fresh cheesecloth and then set the fermenting cider in a warm, dark place for about 4-6 weeks. The apple cider vinegar is complete when it has a strong apple cider vinegar smell and taste. Allow to ferment longer, if not. Don’t be alarmed if you notice a mother culture forming on top. This is normal and part of the fermentation process and is like a SCOBY in kombucha.
10. Once the apple cider vinegar reaches the perfect vinegar taste, secure the apple cider vinegar in a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate or store at room temperature. Use as you would store bought apple cider vinegar: for cooking, baking, cleaning or anything you desire!