Vegan Dove Cake (Colomba Vegana)

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

In a bowl dissolve the Granulated Sugar (1 tsp) and Fresh Yeast (2 Tbsp) into the Kefir Whey (1/3 cup).

Add All-Purpose Flour (1 cup) and using a spoon, stir all the ingredients together.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour, or until bubbling and doubled in size.

Stir the Water (3 Tbsp) and Flaxseeds (1 Tbsp) together then set aside for 10 minutes. Add in the flax mix, All-Purpose Flour (3 cups), Soy Milk (9 oz), Cane Sugar (1/3 cup), Coconut Oil (1/4 cup), zest of the Orange (1), Salt (1 Tbsp), and Vanilla Bean Paste (1/2 tsp) to the bowl with the batter.

Add the Candied Orange Peel (1 cup) and Dark Chocolate (1/2 cup) then knead all the ingredients together until you get a smooth, elastic dough. It will be quite sticky but that’s totally normal. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in your oven with the light on for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

After 2 hours, divide the dough into 2 pieces and place both into a cross shape in the dove cake form.

In a blender, blend white of the Eggs (2 1/2 Tbsp), Granulated Sugar (1/4 cup) and Almonds (1/3 cup) until creamy. Brush that on top of the cake. And top it off with some more whole Almonds (to taste).

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 40-50 min.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store into a plastic bag for up to 3 days.