Instructions

1. Stir the flax meal or chia seeds and water together and set aside to thicken.
2. Place a rack center-oven and heat it to 350. Grease and flour an 8- or 9-inch square pan or two 7- or 8-inch round pans. If you’re using round pans line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease and flour the paper.
3. Thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients together.
4. Beat the eggs until frothy. Beat the rest of the wet ingredients into the eggs one at a time.
5. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Add a little more almond milk if the batter is too thick to pour.
6. Fill the pan(s) and bake for about an hour and 20 minutes for a square pan, or 35 – 40 minutes for round pans. Loosely cover with foil about halfway though. Remove when a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
7. Let the cakes cool completely before removing them from round pans. Run a sharp knife along the sides and tap on the counter to loosen, then cover with a plate, flip over and remove the pan.
8. Hull and slice the strawberries. Stir with lime juice and/or zest and sweetener and refrigerate until using.
9. Empty the cans of coconut cream, including liquid, into a bowl or food processor container and whip with an electric mixer, stand mixer, large-capacity food processor, stick blender or by hand. When it changes from coconut solids to a soft cream, add sweetener and vanilla to taste. Keep beating or pulsing until the cream thickens enough to hold peaks, usually within a few minutes.
10. Refrigerate until using. If the whipped cream hardens during storage, beat with a whisk until creamy.
11. If you’re making a layered cake, assemble it close to serving time. For best results with a square cake, slice it first and top individual servings with berries and cream.
12. To make it extra fancy, garnish with fresh strawberries, grated lime zest and/or toasted coconut. Toast the coconut over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it’s browned to your liking. Remove it from the pan as soon as it’s off the stove to avoid burning.