This was my favorite pan dulce as a child! Vegan cortadillo is a sweet vanilla cake topped with bright pink frosting, and colorful sprinkles. It’s instantly recognizable at the panadería (Mexican bakery), sold in square or triangle slices, and adored by Mexican children everywhere. This is why it’s also known as pastel de niños (kid’s cake).
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Instead of making a homemade cake, I veganized a vanilla box cake mix, making this a super easy recipe. Traditionally it is served as a pan dulce (sweet bread) for an afternoon snack, but it can also double as a birthday cake. Plus it is vegan and dairy-free!
Ingredients
Vanilla Box Cake Mix: I used the Duncan Hines French Vanilla but any vanilla box cake will work.
Chickpea flour: Chickpea flour is garbanzo bean flour made by grinding chickpeas. In this recipe, it is used as an egg replacer. You can find it in the gluten-free flour section of the grocery store or online.
Powdered Sugar: Not all powdered sugar is vegan, while the sugar itself doesn’t contain animal products it can be filtered with bone char. To be safe I recommend you buy organic powdered sugar.
Food Coloring: Food coloring is not essential to this recipe, in fact, in some versions of cortadillo the frosting is white. You can also use natural food coloring if you’re trying to avoid red #5.
How to Make Vegan Cortadillo Step by Step
Top with rainbow sprinkles.
Cut into squares or triangles.
Expert Tricks and Tips
The frosting on this cake is more of a royal icing than a buttercream, you want it to set and harden like royal icing. This provides some texture to this fluffy and soft cake.
Work Ahead
You can make the cake the day before, let it cool, and wrap it in plastic wrap. The next day cover it in icing and serve.
Serving
Once your frosting has set, cut the cake into squares or rectangles and serve.
Storing
Store the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
More Vegan Mexican Desserts
Vegan Cortadillo (Mexican Pink Cake)
Cortadillo is a sweet vanilla cake topped with bright pink frosting and colorful sprinkles. It’s a very popular Mexican pan dulce adored by children everywhere.
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Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 382kcal
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Instructions
To Make the Cake Batter
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In a small bowl, combine the chickpea flour and 6 tablespoons of water and whisk until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 ¼ cups water, vegetable oil, vanilla, and chickpea flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
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Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in pan. Invert cake pan onto a rack, remove parchment paper, and let it completely cool.
To make the Icing
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In a medium bowl combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of almond milk, and the food coloring and whisk until smooth. The icing should the texture of a thick cake batter. If it is too thick add the remaining tablespoon of almond milk.
To Assemble
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Spoon the icing on top of the cake and spread a think layer of frosting with an offset spatula until it covers the top of the cake. Some of it may drip off the sides, that’s ok. Immediately cover generously with the rainbow sprinkles.
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Once the icing sets, cut the cake into squares or triangles and serve.
Notes
- You can make the cake the day before, let it cool, and wrap it in plastic wrap. The next day cover it in icing and serve.
- Once your frosting has set, cut the cake into squares or rectangles and serve.
- Store the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
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