Vegan Chocolate Cake

Name: Vegan Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 38 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cup All purpose flour; 3 tbsp Corn flour; 2 cups Sugar; 1 cup Cocoa powder; 1 tsp Baking powder; 1 tsp Baking soda; Pinch of salt; 1 cup Almond milk; 1 tbsp Vinegar; 3/4 cup Coconut oil; 1 1/2 cup Hot Black Coffee; 2 cups Dark chocolate (melted and cooled); 3/4 cup Full fat coconut milk; 1 1/4 cup Icing sugar (sifted); 1/4 cup Cocoa powder (sifted); 2 tbsp Coconut butter; 1 tsp Vanilla

This cake is dairy free and eggless, making for the perfect vegan chocolate cake. It is rich and indulgent but soft and fluffy. This one bowl wonder is the best vegan chocolate cake you will make.

This one is dedicated to my Vegan, eggless and dairy free ninjas. If you are looking for a simple chocolate cake that ticks all the boxes, then this recipe is for you. I also made this cake gluten free for my brother a few months back using gluten free flour mix (Bobs Red Mill) and it worked fine. I have also made this cake without the frosting and it is yummy on its own but the frosting is just 4 ingredients and it is smooth, silky and very simple to make.

I love this recipe as it is a one bowl wonder. There are barely any pressure points to this recipe as everything gets dumped into a bowl and it is whisked together until smooth. I bake this cake but I have even steamed this cake and it has turned out very sticky and moist but very delicious all in all. You don’t need a lot to make this recipe as well, it can be whipped up on short notice and definitely comes under a weeknight baking situation.

What ingredients do you need?

Cake

To make the cake you need a dairy free milk, I would suggest almond milk here. The recipe also needs vinegar, I use apple cider or balsamic vinegar as I like the flavor it adds to the cake. You need oil and boiling hot water I like to use coconut oil in the cake (I like the flavor) and I prefer using hot black coffee. For the dry ingredients you need flour and all purpose or cake flour is the best option to go with. A good vegan cane sugar works well but regular cane sugar also does the job. It is a chocolate cake and what makes it so is the addition of cocoa powder, so you can skip on it. The usual suspects of baking powder, baking soda and salt are added as well.

Frosting

To make the frosting you need good quality dark chocolate (any brand you prefer), full fat coconut milk – you cannot skip this as it is what makes the frosting thick and spreadable. You also need icing sugar, cocoa powder to balance out the sweetness. I add a little coconut oil in the frosting and you need the old pressed oil or coconut butter, a little vanilla to add that floral note and that’s it.

What substitutes can you use?

Almond milk –

I tried this recipe with almond milk, cashew milk, peanut milk, oat milk and soya for this recipe. You can use whatever you have. If you wan to make your own mylk at home, check out my Homemade Almond Milk recipe for more information.

Apple cider vinegar –

I have made with apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white vinegar and lemon juice, they all work fine.

Coconut oil –

Any vegetable oil works well here. You can use olive oil, canola oil etc.

Hot Black Coffee –

Regular hot water would work in this recipe.

Flour –

You can use cake flour, a mixture of spelt flour and oat flour. To make this gluten free you can use gluten free flour mix (I use Bobs red mill).

Unfortunately to make the frosting you need all the ingredients mentioned.

What equipment you need?

To make the cake you need a large mixing bowl and whisk. I bake this cake in an 8/9 inch round tin that has been lined with baking paper and oil. To make the frosting you need a medium mixing bowl and electric hand beater.

How to make the cake?

Start by adding the milk and vinegar in the bowl. Leave for a couple of mins. Add the oil, vanilla and whisk together. Add all the dry ingredients and stir together until combined. Add all the hot coffee into the mixture and mix until smooth. This is poured into a lined tin and baked in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 35-38 mins until its risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can steam the cake in a large stock pot with a little water at the bottom. Place a wire rack and the cake tin above it. cover with a lid but leave it a little ajar to ensure some steam gets released while cooking. The cake will take 40-45 mins to cook completely.

How to make the frosting?

Pour the coconut milk over the melted and cooled chocolate. Stir together until combined. Add the icing sugar and cocoa powder in batches while beating with an electric beater. Add the coconut oil at the end and finish with vanilla extract.

How long can you store the cake and frosting?

Once the cake had been frosted I would recommend finishing it in two days time as the coconut milk in the frosting will not last long. If the cake is not frosted then it can be wrapped up in cling film and stored for 1 week in the freezer. If you chill the frosting for over an hour it will firm up, hence you can heat it in the microwave at 20 second intervals stirring in-between. This will loosen up for you.

Now that we have covered how to make this cake, let us make some cake and eat it too. Happy Baking Ninjas!