Method (cake)

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line a 8 x 8 inch square cake tin with grease-proof paper. Allow the paper to hang over the tin, this makes it easier to remove the cake when baked.
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 bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
6. Pour the batter into the lined tin. Use a cranked pallet knife to smooth out the batter, making sure to get it into the corners of the tin. Tap the tin on the worktop one or two times to remove any air bubbles.
7. Add the strawberry jam into a piping bag, snip off the tip and pipe swirls of the jam all over the batter. Use the tip of a knife to swirl the jam around into the batter.
8. Top the cake with some Jammie Dodger biscuits, pressing the down slightly into the batter.
9. Pop the cake into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know it is done when you put a knife or skewer down the middle of the cake and it comes out clean and it’s springy to the touch. If batter comes off on the skewer, it needs more time to bake. To prevent burning, top the cake with some grease proof paper then return back into the oven.
10. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully transfer onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting. You can even place the cake in a sealed container once cool then frost the day after. It’s a very light sponge so be careful with it when removing from the tin.

Method (compote)

1. Place the raspberries into a medium-sized saucepan and sprinkle over the sugar, cornflour / cornstarch and water.
2. Place on top onto the hob over a medium to high heat and bring to the boil. This will take around 5-8 minutes. Keep stirring with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to prevent the mixture from sticking and burning. It will start to turn thick. Once thick, remove from the heat and allow to cool before using. As it cools, it will thicken up even more and turn into a jellified sauce.
3. Store in a sealed container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. As the compote cools, it’ll turn thick. If this happens, give it a vigorous whisk before using.

Method (buttercream)

1.  In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it
3. Pour in the aquafaba. Whip for 5 minutes until it turns light and creamy. Don’t over whip it or it can become too soft. If it does, just add in more icing sugar until it’s thick and creamy. The buttercream should be very light and airy. You can add more chunks of butter to get it to the right consistency.
4. Add in 2 heaped tablespoons of compote and whip to combine.
5. Dollop the buttercream on the sheet cake and use a cranked pallet knife / off set spatula to swirl it around.
6. Why not decorate the cake with more Jammie Dodgers and serve with some compote drizzled over the top.
7. Slice and enjoy!