Makes 8 mini-poundcakes
These cakes are just lovely and darling. The crumb is somehow both dense and fluffy. The edges are crispy and sweet. And the almond flavor is simply bangin’.
And you know how I came up with the recipe? From my box of almond paste! Yes, I shamelessly ripped open the package and veganized one of the recipes that came inside. I actually made it several times, because I didn’t have the correct sized loaf pan, and instead of going out and getting the right size, I thought it was a better idea to futz with the recipe like five times.
Well, by the sixth time, I decided to just make them minis. Minis are so fun and giftable, and you can slice them up and serve with a little vegan cream and strawberries. It’s totally worth it to get a mini-loaf pan, I recommend this one. But if you have a 9×5 loaf pan, you can use that instead. I think the baking time will be more like 50 minutes to an hour, lowering the heat to 325 F after 40 minutes.
Notes
~I was lazy and simply used some premade vegan cream. I recommend either SoyAToo in a box (not the can), or Healthy Top.
~You can make a cute little bite-sized dessert outta’ these, that might be perfect for Spring holiday snacking. Slice a few of the loaves 1/4 inch thick, and top with a dollop of cream and a sliced strawberry. Now you’ve got a great little sweet that’s easy to grab.
~You can also make these into little individual cakes (or, fine, call them cupcakes) by using a muffin tin. Baking time will probably be around 24 minutes. Top with cream and sliced strawberry.
~Marzipan and almond paste are different things, believe it or not. Will marzipan work here? Ya know, maybe it would, but proceed at your own risk because I haven’t tried it.
Ingredients
7 oz almond paste
6 oz extra firm silken tofu (vacuum packed kind, like Mori-nu)
1 cup almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup refined coconut oil, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 8-loaf mini-loaf pan.
Break almond paste up into smaller pieces and drop into a blender. Add the tofu, almond milk, and sugar. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Add the vanilla and stream in the melted coconut oil and blend again.
Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until smooth. An electric hand mixer will work best because the batter is quite thick, but a strong metal whisk will get the job done, too.
Fill mini-loaf compartments about 3/4 full, this should be about 1/2 cup of batter. Bake for for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 325 F and bake for 10 more minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve with cream and strawberries.
Looks like magic- as always. Can’t wait to try it!
do you make the almond paste or use store bought? this is a new ingredient for me (perhaps i am a noob?) and i am wondering if it could be made in a vitamix?
Yum! any subs for the tofu? I can’t do that much soy.
as i said on facebook; I’ve been contemplating mini loaf pans. next time i see some i am buying them.
Such cute little cakes! These look super tasty, especially with big red berries! 🙂
Whoa nelly! 1/2 cup of coconut oil is too rich for ma blood. I am going to try this with applesauce or that magic mix of nut butters and fruit purees that you perfected so well for the Forks Over Knives cookbook.
Pound cake with tofu?!? Ive got to try this 🙂
Looks delicious! I’m adding almond paste to my shopping list 🙂
Where do you buy SoyAToo? I’ve seen it in Europe but not in the US.
It’s at Whole Foods.
These sound so tasty! Love this idea!
I like the inclusion of the tofu; they look like really nice Easter gifts, too. Do you think the batter would work as muffins?
It’s in the post!
Can it be in a different pan, like tube, large loaf or muffin? I don’t have the mini loaf pan.
It’s in the post!
Is almond paste the same as almond butter?
Isa, just wanted to say how thankful I am for this blog. My husband and I are always making meals from your posts and cook books. PS, love the photos for these little loaves!
Thanks for letting me know. <3
Thank you!
Isa ur a beaut! Everything u cook turns to gold. Literally! If I didnt live so far away (snowy uk!) And wasnt agoraphobic I
would totally stalk u. Then when u leave the kitch to use the Bathroom or whatever, i would creep into kitch and steal your food ha ha. having a baking day today as been eating far too much convienience food lately n feel like turd for doing so…am baking ur choc bundt cake, simple italian sausages and devilisg potatoes…even thi here in uk its only 11am…kids at school tho so am making most of a quiet house…my dog needs walking tho and I am abandoni g the idea for few hours…doez that make me a bad vegan dog owner????r
isa- regular loaf pan, how long to bake? thanks!
It’s in the post!
Yum! I already make almond pound cake using the Veganomicon pound cake recipe. I sub almond extract for the orange and lemon juice/zest and I use replace every 1/4 cup of flour per 1 cup with almond meal. It’s my husbands favorite thing I make.
If they are mini pound cakes, does this make them ounce cakes?
Should baking powder (recipe) or baking soda (directions) be used?
Whoops, it’s powder. Thanks for the catch!
Why “refined” coconut oil? I always try to only buy unrefined oils. By the way, your blog is too cool!
I’m guessing refined so you’re not overwhelmed with coconut taste. The refined has a neutral flavor.
Made these for Easter brunch and they were a hit! Nice firm cake, almond flavor wasn’t overwhelming. I couldn’t find any vegan cream, but they were good plain or with fresh fruit.
I made them in a big cupcake from – and it did not work out at all. Even if the form is not that much bigger than your mini cakes used here. It took 45 minutes to get them not fluid anymore in the middle and then they were dark brown and hard on the outside. As I took them out, they were still wet and sticky inside.
Couldn’t eat them… Really sad.
Any idea what went wrong? I always stick to the instructions so oven was preheated and everything used in the correct amount. And I did not double it, it was just the same amount of dough.
Thanks for ideas!
Woah, that’s a beauty, eh?! Nice veganizing, Isa!!!! Super dense and moist, with a nice crust too.
I used a 9×5 inch pan (that’s a 23×13 cm, for all you other hosers in the Great White North) . Worked well, but bake for an extra 15 mins.
I also subbed Earth Balence for the coco oil, and used 1 1/4 cup icing sugar instead of regular (cuz that’s what I had, eh?)
Will definitely become a part of my regulars!
Can’t wait to try this recipe but I do have a quick question – can I substitue the flour with gluten free all purpose or any mixture of a gluten free flour mix?
Thank you, Adriana
Yum! Do you think these would freeze well?
These were so good and no one could believe they were vegan, let alone contained tofu (the horror!). I accidently made my own almond paste with a bag of blanched almonds after an unsuccessful attempt at making almond butter.
Yes, these freeze beautifully. I keep a zip-loc full of them in my freezer, and my husband can pull one out whenever he wants dessert.
Can you use vegetable shortening or oil in place of coconut oil?
This made 9 muffins/cupcakes and one mini-loaf cake, and worked out great. I would pull the cupcakes a little sooner next time.
Thanks for the feedback!
Not sure how I missed this recipe till now. This has my husband written all over it.
This looks so good! My family loves your recipes, but is there any way you can make this gluten free and soy free? I would really appreciate it!
I made these a few weeks ago. I didn’t have any almond paste so I just ground the almonds. The cakes were DELICIOUS!!! I loved them, and so did my friends 🙂 They were gone in 1.5 days. Thanks!
Wow, interesting that that worked! Yay!
The vanilla extract is in the ingredients list but not in the recipe. When do you put that in?
Whoops! With the coconut oil.
I’m allergic to soy, but this recipe sounds amazing! What’s a good substitute for the tofu?
hey looks delectable
Yumm. These came out great! I couldn’t find almond paste so I made it myself using this recipe http://nourishingjoy.com/how-to-make-almond-paste/#comment-10108, though I subbed maple syrup for the honey. I used not-so-mini mini-loafs. Each is about 2×5 or 2×6, they hold 1 1/2 cups liquid – but I didn’t fill them all the way. It took three of those and I baked them for 40 min @ 350 and then 10 min @ 325. Delicious, thanks.
Wow! Just made these as muffins and your direction of baking for 24 minutes was spot on for me. Delicious!
Hi , I should be using unsweetened almond milk right?
I am excited to try this recipe!!
YEP! Although, if it’s sweetened it’s not the biggest deal.
Just made these yesterday for a holiday gathering with my neighbors. They were a HIT!! I sliced them and put a dollop of Suzanne’s ricemellow Creme (found at WF, didn’t have time to make any veg cream topping) with a sliver of strawberry on top. One guest apologized for eating so many slices ~ she couldn’t stop. These will be an absolute go to for a dessert! Isa – THANK YOU for this blog – I have been using it like crazy and LOVE everything I make from here.
Can I use all purpose gluten free flour
Finally got around to making this (as cupcakes/muffins) and glad I did, they turned out well : )
I used my vanilla flavored soy milk and it didn’t impact the flavor at all (figured it’d be ok since there’s vanilla extract) and baked the muffins at 350 for 18 minutes & then lowered the heat to 325 F and baked for 6 more minutes. They came out great!
I think they’d be great with some sliced almonds on top. Isa, where in the baking timeline do you think it’d be a good time to add these so they don’t get too burnt? Would it be easy/safe to add them once you lower the heat to 325?
What would be the ounces (of almond paste and of tofu) in cups?
I made these today. Came out great I put them in cupcake pans. I also used coconut sugar in place of white and a dash of almond flavoring with the vanilla.
turned out amazing!! great mild almond flavor. not overwhelming. good with vegan whipped cream or fruity sauce…
Can I use marzipan instead of almond paste?
I made these today in a mini loaf pan. They were absolutely delightful with a wonderful texture and good almond flavor. I did supplement with quarter teaspoon of almond extract. They were lovely with raspberries.
Always wanted to have a cake made with almond paste that is non-dairy and non-egg in my arsenal. Thanks again.