Vanilla Spinach Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Slice of cake with cake in the background.

4.93 from 54 votes

Vanilla Spinach Cake with Vanilla Frosting

The spinach makes this cake a vibrant green colour, but you can’t actually taste the spinach. It tastes like a vanilla sponge, but there’s a little added goodness in there from the leafy greens. It makes for a fun cake colour and it’s perfect for parties.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British, International

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

Cost: $15

Ingredients

3 cups (150g) raw spinach
3 large eggs (or flax eggs, see note)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (150g) sugar
⅔ cup (100g) smooth applesauce
½ cup (100ml) vegetable oil
2 cups (250g) plain flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

For the vanilla frosting

½ stick (75g) unsalted butter
2 cups (250g) powdered icing sugar sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Optional - sprinkles to decorate

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease and line 2 x 8 inch (20cm) cake tins.
Steam or simmer the spinach for a few minutes until wilted.
Run under cold water to refresh, drain and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Puree well with a hand blender and set aside.
Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce and sugar together well. Beat in the spinach puree.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and gently stir to combine.
Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the vanilla frosting

Beat all ingredients together until fluffy. If necessary add a little more milk to thin or icing sugar to thicken.
Refrigerate until ready to spread on the completely cooled cake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Video

Notes

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is created with online calculators. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Puree the spinach to a paste for an even bright green colour. Add a tablespoon of water if necessary to make it easier to puree.
Make it vegan: Use flax eggs (see below, dairy-free butter and dairy free milk!
Flax eggs: For each egg (there are 3 in this recipe) mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax with three tablespoon of water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and then use in the recipe where it calls for eggs.

Nutrition