Take one look at the beautiful Pom Pom cake, as originated by adorable teacher-turned-baker Katherine Sabbath, featured in this video, and any confectionary aficionado would fall in love. But I couldn’t get veganizing it out of my mind. It’s a layer cake with lemon and raspberry curds between topped with a cream cheese frosting and covered in homemade marshmallows. I knew at first site, it’d be mine, veganly.

So when I discovered, by chance, that a special person’s favorite cake combination aligned with the Pom Pom cake innards, I knew I’d have the perfect reason to go forth with a very challenging and time-consuming method of expressing my affection. Because this is how I do. A cake from me is like a love letter. You receive a cake from me, you’re.. er… ok, enough of that potty language.

Warning: I repeat, this is a labor-intensive endeavor. But I am mostly in the mindset that everything worth doing is worth doing well. I hope you are too. Otherwise, just enjoy the picture show. A beautiful vegan Pom Pom Cake.

Vegan Marshmallow Pom-Poms

These are the stars of the show! And honestly, if you cover anything with these pom pom marshmallows, it will get eaten. Can we just pause and appreciate that homemade vegan marshmallows are not a pipe dream any more? After making these several times, I am very comfortable with the process. And unlike my original posting of the recipe, I’ve made this sequence even more idiot-proof. So stay tuned to my blog to see more vegan marshmallow experimentation. But for now: pom poms. You’ll need…

E Q U I P M E N T
Stand-up mixer
Half sphere silicone molds of various sizes (like this!)
Large piping bag (I didn’t use a tip)

I N G R E D I E N T S
3/4 cup plus 6 TB of water
3 teaspoons agar powder (not agar flakes)
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup (only cheap stuff works; I used Karo light corn syrup)
3/4 cup aquafaba (from one can of chickpeas)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2 and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring

To line the molds:
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Coconut oil non-stick spray (with “No Propellants” if you can find it; I used Pompeian brand.)

1.) Plug the stand-up mixer in and put on the whisk attachment. Make sure there is no debris in the heat-save bowl. You want smooth marshies.

2.) Put two small saucepans on the stovetop. Affix one of the saucepans with a candy thermometer. There will only be a small amount of liquid in this saucepan, so a pan with too large a base will have you fiddling with the candy thermometer to ensure the red glob that detects the temperature is fully immersed in candy liquid. So let that help you determine the size of the saucepan.

3.) Drain a can of chickpeas so that brine collects in a liquid measuring cup. Use the chickpeas for something else. You should get 3/4 cup of aquafaba from the can.

4.) Put all ingredients out on the counter. Group them like this:

Agar powder
Corn syrup and sugar
Aquafaba, xanthan gum, lemon juice, vanilla

5.) Prep your molds. I used 3 different half-spherical molds. Coat interior of molds with a light mist of coconut oil spray. If it gets too oily, wipe down with a paper towel. You don’t want to jeopardize the texture of the marshmallows with too much oil. Then, coat with dried coconut. To prevent waste, I laid a baking sheet in the sink and took care to coat evenly, dumping and reusing excess coconut flakes. Put the baking sheet aside to coat marshmallows more thoroughly once they are removed from the molds.

6.) Now you want to get the three bowls you’ll be handling at once all set. Add the agar powder with 3/4 cup of the water in the small saucepan. Mix until dissolved. Leave on the burner but don’t start the flame yet.

7.) Then, in the saucepan with the candy thermometer, add sugar, corn syrup and the rest of the water (6 TB). Let that sit for a few moments while you prep the stand-up mixer bowl.

8.) Combine aquafaba, lemon juice and xanthan gum in the stand-up mixer bowl and get it ready to go.

9.) Now start everything. Turn on both burners to medium heat and the mixer to high speed. You’ll let the mixer whip up the aquafaba mixture for 2 minutes. Then stop it and add the vanilla.

10.) Watch the agar mixture, stirring occasionally until it’s boiling. Then lower the heat. Turn it up again when the candy mixer is almost done (see below) to bring it back to a rolling boil. It should be thicker and show signs of getting gelatinous.

11.) Bring the candy to a wild boil and keep it going until it reaches 120 degrees C (248 F). Don’t get impatient! And be careful when handling it. I worry about you sometimes.

12.) Once sugar syrup mixture is at 120 C (248 F), take off heat and add to the chickpea mixture that’s whipping away. I lowered the speed only slightly and drizzled the syrup mixture in slowly and carefully, using a small rubber spatula to get all that sweetness in there. Let it whip 2 minutes and then add the agar mixture. You’ll definitely have to use a spatula to get it all out–it should be set loosely.

13.) Now let it whip well to combine. I had to scrape down the sides once to ensure all the thickening concoctions were incorporated. After 3 minutes, add the food coloring. After 5-7 minutes it should look ribbony and delicious.

14.) Next, transfer marshmallow (yes, it’s now marshmallow!) into piping bag. Do it quickly, but don’t rush. I prepped the pastry bag by folding up the narrow end and securing with a binder clip and folding down the top (wide) end so I can twist and squeeze neatly. When the bag is full, unclip the narrow end and pipe marshmallow into prepared molds.

I got a little sloppy on the smaller ones on the first batch. I was kind of nervous. I used a cake scraper to clean up the second batch and that worked better.

15.) Let them set for an hour at room temperature, uncovered. Then release them from the molds. They should release easily. Roll them about in the dried coconut. Try to resist eating them all. But this is rather difficult.

How beautiful they are! I put them in containers but wound up leaving them uncovered for quite a while longer to continue drying out a bit. Upon reflection, lining them up on a baking sheet is a better idea–to maximize contact with the… air.

Do you have more marshmallow than molds? Make some “regular” marshmallows by piping the rest of the batter in a baking pan. I did this. And this way you can eat some!

I wanted contrasting “pom poms” on top of my cake. Here are both of my batches, reminding me so much of a cookie I used to love as a kid. These came out so amazing that I want to put more pictures here.

The possibilities are endless

16.) Store the gorgeous marshmallows at room temperature while you press on. I made these in advance and actually left them out uncovered for like 24-48 hours. They firmed up nicely. But you! Don’t rest now. There is still lots to do! Like the raspberry curd filling…

Raspberry Curd Filling

(adapted from here) This recipe will feel like sitting on your butt compared to what you just accomplished. You’ll need…

I N G R E D I E N T S
2 cups thawed frozen raspberries
2 TB lemon juice
6 TB sugar
2 TB corn starch

17.) In a small sauce pot, combine all the ingredients and whisk over medium heat.

18.) Whisk occasionally as it cooks. When it starts to bubble and thicken, whisk constantly for 5 minutes until mixture is thick. Now remove from the heat and let it cool on the counter.

19.) Whisk occasionally as it cools. When it is room temperature, transfer to glass container and store in the fridge until it’s ready to use.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(adapted from here) This is a wonderful vegan frosting that is creamy, flavorful and sturdy. You’ll need…

E Q U I P M E N T
Hand mixer

I N G R E D I E N T S
8 oz package of vegan cream cheese
1 cup Earth Balance
3 and 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla

20.) With handheld mixer, beat cream cheese and Earth Balance until smooth and incorporated.

21.) Lower the speed and add half the powdered sugar. Turn up blender once it’s incorporated and beat until smooth. Then add the remaining sugar and, once again, beat until smooth.

22.) Add the vanilla and beat until well incorporated. If you are adding food coloring, do it now. Clearly, I added a few drops of yellow. I did this because I wanted to contrast the two marshmallow shades and hint to the lemon flavor inside. Plus it’s a celebration cake!

And speaking of lemon, let’s hop to it!

Creamy Lemon Layer

(adapted from here) This will be in between the layers of cake.

E Q U I P M E N T
High speed blender

I N G R E D I E N T S
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup coconut fat from a can of coconut milk*
2 TB cornstarch
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 TB lemon zest
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup

*Store the can of coconut milk in the fridge upside down when you get it. This way you can pour the clearish liquid out after opening it from the bottom. Then scoop out the fat.

23.) Put cashews in high speed blender and cover with boiling water. Let soak for 1 hour, then drain completely.

24.) Pre-heat oven to 350. Line the springform pan (the one you plan to use for cake layers) with parchment paper. Put a baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. I’ll tell you why later.

25.) Add coconut cream, corn starch, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt, and maple syrup to the blender and blend until smooth. Check for lemon-ness and sweetness and adjust if need be. Remember that are many components to this dessert and you don’t want it to be overly sweet.

26.) Pour filling in prepared pan. Keep it a thin layer. Tap on counter to distribute evenly and burst air bubbles. Bake for 20-25 minutes. It should have lost some moisture but now appear a bit like a cheesecake. Mine leaked a lot of oil onto the bottom of oven and then it smoked up my whole kitchen… and no fire detector went off. Eek. I spent the next hour in my apartment with the door open to the rainy night. So put that baking sheet under the pan

27.) Once done, let it sit in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then glide a knife around the edges and remove the springform. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until you are ready to layer within cake. They look like cheesecakes, don’t they?!

Vanilla Cake Layers

(adapted from here) Finally! You’ll need…

I N G R E D I E N T S
1 and 1/2 cups soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 TB pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 TB cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

28.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cake pans with parchment paper. I also used cake strips for even and level baking.

29.) Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

30.) Meanwhile, sift the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a separate bowl. Set aside.

31.) Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and whisk until the mixture is frothy.

32.) Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk together until the flour mixture disappears.

33.) Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or after a toothpick comes out of the center clean. I used 6″ pans, so the layers were pretty thick. Adjust your bake time accordingly based on your pan.

34.) Cool cake in pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn out cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Beautiful layers! Voila!

Assembly Time

35) Put first layer of cake on a halved strip of parchment (so you can pull it from under cake easily afterwards.) Then add a layer of frosting + lemon layer (slightly chilled so it is a bit firm) + a piped perimeter of frosting + raspberry curd + cake layer 2.

36.) Now frost it all up!

I let it firm up in the fridge after some spackling.

Now it’s all ready for the marshmallow pom-poms.

37.) I was pleased that the cream cheese frosting was thick. The pom poms did not fall off as I thought they might. I chose not to bake a domed cake like the original Pom Pom cake, I have never used a dome cake pan and didn’t want to put another layer of risk on this endeavor.