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5 from 4 votes

Vegan Boba Cake

Incredible vegan boba cake without all the eggs and dairy! This fun dessert has a fluffy milk tea sponge cake, milk tea buttercream and of course fresh brown sugar tapioca pearls.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Cuisine: Taiwanese-inspired, Vegan
Servings: 12
Author: Anthea

Ingredients

Milk Tea

  • 1 ½ cups (375g) dairy-free milk
  • 3-4 black tea bags, or 3-4 teaspoons of black tea leaves (note 1)

Milk Tea Cake (see note 2 for a simplier version)

Milk Tea Vanilla Buttercream

To decorate

Instructions

Make the milk tea:

  • Add the dairy-free milk to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat.
  • Add your tea bags or loose tea leaves to the milk. Infuse for 15-30 minutes or until it reaches your desired flavor/intensity. Keep in mind the flavor will be diluted in the cake.
  • Remove the tea bags or strain away the tea leaves. Squeeze the bags or tea leaves to remove any excess milk. Measure the remaining milk tea and add more milk so you have 375g (1 ½ cups) of liquid. Set aside 30g (2 tablespoons) of the milk tea for the buttercream. Allow the milk tea to come to room temperature.

To make the cake:

  • Add the flour, only 125g of sugar (we're using the rest for the aquafaba), raising agents and salt to a very large mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
  • Add the milk tea, oil and optional vinegar/vanilla to the bowl. Mix until just combined (the batter should be thick and lumpy). If in doubt, err on the side of undermixing as we'll be mixing it more later. Set aside.
  • Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.
  • Add the aquafaba to a clean large bowl (if using hand beaters) or the bowl of a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment). Beat the aquafaba until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 125g of sugar. Beat until the mixture is glossy and you get firm or stiff peaks (note 5).
  • Add around ¼ of your aquafaba meringue mixture to your cake batter and fold through. This helps loosen up the cake batter.
  • Add the remaining aquafaba mixture to your cake batter. Use a spatula to gently fold the mixtures together. Try not to overmix your batter.
  • Evenly divide the cake batter into your prepared cake pans.
  • Bake the cakes for around 30-35 minutes. The cakes are ready if they spring back when you gently press the top or you can insert a toothpick in their center and it comes away clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes then completely cool on a wire rack.

To make the milk tea buttercream:

  • Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat until light and pale.
  • Add the sugar, reserved milk tea and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy. Add more powdered sugar for a firmer frosting or more milk for a smoother frosting.

Preparing the tapioca pearls:

  • Cook the tapioca pearls according to packet instructions, drain and rinse them.
  • In the saucepan you just used, add the brown sugar and a dash of water. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cooked tapioca pearls and mix until combined. Allow the mixture to cool.

To assemble the cake:

  • Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread around ¾ cup of buttercream on top of the cake and place the remaining cake layer on top.
  • Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake. If you have excess frosting, use it for piping on top of your cake. Top the cake with the cooked tapioca pearls and brown sugar syrup.
  • Serve the cake within 4 hours. If you'd like to make this cake in advance, I recommend that you decorate the whole cake in advance (without the pearls). On the day of serving, cook the pearls and top the cake just before serving. The pearls will quickly dry out and become hard (and inedible) when they're exposed to air for too long.
  • Store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge but consume or dispose of the remaining tapioca pearls. Allow the cake to come to room temperature around 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  1. Black tea bags and leaves vary in strength a lot! I recommend keeping an eye on the color and intensity of your milk tea and removing your tea when ready.
  2. For a simpler cake, you can a one-bowl vegan cake without the aquafaba. In a large bowl, mix together 375g all-purpose plain flour, 250g sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda and salt. Add the remaining milk tea, 125g oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until combined. Use the batter as is. The final cake is fluffy but denser than the above sponge cake.
  3. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour.
  4. I got 180g of aquafaba from just one 400g (15 oz) can of chickpeas.
  5. If using spreadable margarine, your buttercream will be softer. You may need to add more sugar or a little corn starch to firm up your buttercream.
  6. It can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to whip your aquafaba until firm or stiff peaks form. The fluffier your aquafaba, the fluffier your final cake will be! However, the cake will still work if you can only get soft peaks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serve without frosting | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
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