We compiled The Veg-Feasting Cookbook by inviting local veg-friendly restaurants to give us their best recipes. We added in a few special recipes from Vegfest chefs and the result was a wonderful vegetarian cookbook covering the full spectrum of cuisines from around the world.

This wonderful 3-layer cake recipe is made without eggs or dairy.  With blackberries being freely available for the picking at this time of year, this is a perfect time to give this recipe a try.

Orange Blackberry Cake Recipe

This is a delightfully refreshing cake, with the winning combination of citrus and fresh berries. Try it with your favorite berries—raspberries, salmonberries, marionberries, blueberries—or a mixture.

Makes one 9-inch cake

6 cups unbleached white flour

4½ cups plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 cup canola oil

½ cup grated zest and 3 cups juice from

6 medium oranges, preferably organic

1 tablespoon vanilla

6 cups blackberries

1/3 cup cane sugar

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 cups powdered sugar

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350°F (325 if using a convection oven). Grease three 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with waxed paper, and grease and flour the paper.  Sift the flour, 4½ cups granulated sugar, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the canola oil, orange zest and juice, vanilla and 3 cups filtered water, then pour them into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Divide the batter evenly into the 3 pans and bake until the layers are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the layers for 10 minutes in their pans, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

To make the filling, put the blackberries and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup filtered water and stir to dissolve. Add to the berry mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes, then set aside to cool.

To assemble the cake, whisk the powdered sugar with ¼ cup water to make a glaze. Place one cake layer on a plate and spread with 1/3 of the filling, then drizzle with a little of the glaze. Repeat with the second and third cake layers, drizzling any remaining glaze around the edges of the cake so it flows down the sides. Chill to set.