This vegan nut braid is one of my favorite cake recipes. I have such wonderful childhood memories from this soft, sweet and aromatic cake. The slightly chewy yeast dough with the rich and sweet nut filling, which still has a little bit of “crunch”, is simply irresistible. This cake is also perfect for the Easter gatherings, dining with friends, cozy coffee parties or just tomake your family happy. To make it easy for you to handle the yeast dough and to braid the cake, I added lots of instructional photos to the recipe, so that you can do it easily at home. You will only need little working time. Only the dough itself needs a bit of time to rise nicely. I often prepare the dough very early in the morning, cover it in a warm place and let it rise while I take a shower and start the day. In between I briefly make the filling, roll out the dough, fill it and put the cake in the oven. This way I effortlessly can bake a delicious cake just alongside my daily routines. Have fun and enjoyment with this delicious cake recipe. And please do not forget to write to me. I am always looking forward to your feedback on my recipes. Write here in the comments or on Facebook or Instagram. Take care and have great easter holidays, yours Lea.
Easy Vegan Nut Braid
Ingredients
For the yeast dough
- 400 g (3 1/4 cups or 14 oz) (spelt) flour
- 60 g (2.11 oz) raw cane sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1-2 tsp. of cinnamon
- 200 ml (6.7 oz) plantbased milk + some more for coating the dough before baking
- 1/2 cube fresh yeast or one package dry yeast
- 50 g (1.7 oz) margarine (or use 50 ml liquid coconut oil) + some margarine for greasing the baking tin
For the nutfilling
- 100 g (3.5 oz) almonds
- 50 g (1.7 oz) walnuts
- 50 g (1.7 oz) pecan nuts (or go for walnuts here as well)
- 50 g (1.7 oz) hazelnuts + some chopped hazelnuts for garnish
- 4 tbsp. of maple sirup
- 2 tbsp. dark almond paste
- 1 tsp. of cinnamon
- 1 tsp. of lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the spelt flour with the cane sugar, a pinch of salt and 1-2 tsp. cinnamon. Warm up the plantbased milk and melt the margarine in it. Then dissolve half a fresh yeast cube in the warm plantbased milk(warm, not too hot or boiling!!). Dig a little hole in the middle of the flour, pour the plantbased milk into it and stir in about 1/4 of the flour. Wait for 10 minutes and then mix all ingredients and knead a smooth dough on a lightly floured work surface. (If you are using dry yeast, add it to the dry ingredients at the beginning, then dissolve the margarine in the plantbased milk and mix everything accordingly)
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place without draught for about 40-50 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare the nut filling. Shred almonds, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts in a blender. Do not grind the nuts completely "to flour", but leave them slightly chunky. Mix the shredded nuts with 4 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp dark almond paste, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp lemon juice and 50 ml plantbased milk to get a sweet, thick nut paste.
- After resting, roll out the risen dough rectangularly on a floured work surface (edge length approx. 35 cm x 30 cm (13.7 x 11.8 inch). Spread the dough with the nut puree and roll up from the long side.
- Halve the dough roll, turn the cut surfaces upwards and twist the two strands of dough like a plait.
- Lightly grease a baking tin (25 cm (9.8 inches) long) with margarine and place the nut plait inside.
- Cover the nut plait with a cloth and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170 °C/ 338 °F fan.
- Bake the nut braid in the preheated oven at 170 °C/ 338 °F fan for about 35-40 minutes.
- Remove the nut braid from the oven and enjoy!
Tip: Directly after baking, the surface of the nut braid is slightly crispy and the inside soft and juicy. However, this can cause problems when cutting the cake. If you wait for half a day, the “crust” will become soft as well and you can cut it better. As with many baked goods, I therefore recommend not cutting the cake immediately after baking, but letting it cool down completely and perhaps placing it in the fridge overnight. But of course you can also eat it immediately. Just as you like.
