Vegan "honey" cake

One of the traditions for the Jewish New Year is to bake a honey cake, and my kids knew that the New Year was coming by the wonderful smell emanating from the kitchen. This year my eldest son invited us for the traditional meal. They are vegan and also my son no longer likes honey. So I looked up an alternative on the Internet, and adapted it based on my previous recipe. It  came out moist, tasty, and... no honey or eggs were harmed in the process.

Ingredients >  2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour >  1 Tblsp baking powder >  1 Tblsp cinnamon >  1/2 tsp ground ginger >  1/2 tsp mixed spice (allspice) >  1/2 cup vegetable oil >  1/2 cup agave syrup/nectar >   1/2 cup pure maple syrup >   1 cup applesauce/puree >   2 tsp vanilla extract >   1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) dissolved in 100 ml orange juice >   1/2 cup raisins >   Sliced almonds for the top

Steps 1.  Heat the oven to 170C 2.  Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. 3.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, agave, maple, applesauce and vanilla. 4.  Beat well until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth. 5.  Dissolve the soda in the orange juice and pour onto the mixture with the raisins. Stir. 6.  Pour the mixture into 2 lined loaf tins.  7.  Sprinkle the almonds on top. 8.  Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. The cake should be firm to the touch. 9.  Let the cake cool out of the draft. 10. When quite cold, wrap in tin foil and leave until needed. The taste improves with time.