Earth Balance In Aus?

I can't really help you out with Earth Balance - for what it's worth I've never seen it in Melbourne.  There are, I believe, a few vegan shops/groceries in Newtown in Sydney, so that's probably your best bet for finding either Earth Balance or another substitute.
However - I can suggest the possibility of making a cake without the use of a butter-substitute.  I never put Nuttelex, or any other butter-substitute, in any of my cakes.  My basic vanilla cake recipe is:
   * 3 1/2 cups unbleached plain flour
   * 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
   * 2 teaspoons baking soda
   * 1 teaspoon salt
   * 2 cups rice milk (or soy/almond/oat/etc.)
   * 2/3 cups of canola oil
   * 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
   * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly oil cupcake pans, or line with cases.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt. Create a well in the center and add milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla, and mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour mix into cake pan and place in oven. Bake about 35-40 minutes. When the cake pulls away from the side of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, it’s ready.
Let cake cool about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen cakes from the side. Invert the cakes onto a plate and re-invert onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely.
Will make aprox. 16 cupcakes or 12 muffins (ETA: or one regular sized cake)

(for a shameless plug, it's also found here: http://thoughtfulkitchen.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/cupcakes-great-and-small/)

Having said that, I'm not sure that I would be able to tell the difference in a cake which had been baked.  Has your sister previously expressed distaste at Nuttelex used in baking, or only on toast/veges etc.?

Hey!
I used to live in Sydney and I currently live in Canberra and from all my research no one sells Earth Balance.
Nuttelex isn't really vegan anyways; it contains palm oil (palm oil and palm sugar are directly linked to the destruction of orangutan habitat).
Your best bet is to go to a health food store and get "Melrose Omega Gold Margarine" http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/health_products/Organic/product_info/products_id/Omega_Gold/35/
It tastes and has the texture of slightly cooled butter (I vaguely remember dairy and I had to question whether I was actually eating butter. It tastes amazing AND it's incredibly healthy for you.
It's a little bit more expensive then Nuttelex but I recommend that to anyone who's after a vegan margarine.
ENJOY!

(BTW I also bake vegan and don't use margarine... Maybe you should look for different recipes?)

Thanks for that, I will definitely give that recipe a go! Sounds yummy

Ill be off to the Health food store this arvo! Im glad you told me about Nuttelex - that will be the last of that now.

Im trying to make a strawberry cheescake for her so hopefully this "butter" lives up to her standards.

Can you suggest an alternative to Tofutti cream cheese?

No, sorry!
I've been working on homemade recipes for this stuff (right now I'm doing marshmellows) but I haven't done any cheeses yet!
So sorry!

No worries, let us know when your done with the marshmallows, that would be an awesome recipe to know!

macadamia butter is available at coles and safeway and is a great alternative, but it does, unsurprisingly taste nutty.

again, I tend to use vegetable oil and silken tofu as butter replacements.

if you're making a cheesecake and you dont want to use tofutti cream cheese (which works really well by the way) try a blend of firm fresh tofu, silken tofu, coconut cream and a whole lot of sugar and vanilla (or sugar alternative). add a little oil, and a little cornflour to make it stiffer. you can also buy soy condensed milk, and agar agar powder in supermarkets.
I once made one from cashews and and macadamias (in a food processor) but its hard to get it smooth.

(these are frozen recipes)

If it's for cheesecake probably best to stick with the tofutti better than cream cheese..


I did however do a search for you and found this recipe with doesn't use tofutti.


Basic vegan cheesecake recipe

Ingredients

   * 1 (12 ounce) package soft tofu
   * 1/2 cup soy milk
   * 1/2 cup white sugar
   * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
   * 1/4 cup maple syrup
   * 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, sugar, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Blend until smooth and pour into pie crust.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool; refrigerate until chilled.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! It's so wonderful to hear other peoples ideas and thoughts. I dont think i'll ever have to worry about what ingredients to use for a cheescake again