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Can I just say, Happy Chocolate CAKE Friday!
Seriously, does this not look like the most luscious, moist and perfect chocolate cake ever??? I swear, you’d never even begin to guess it was vegan if I didn’t tell you.
A sneaky, delish, Friday worthy cake. <–FACT.
We have not talked cake in a while. Like way tooooo loooonnggggg. So today it’s CAKE DAY! YESSS – cake, cake, cake, cake, cake day! Today is also my Dad’s birthday, so this one’s for you Dad! Since they are all still in South Korea (where my little brother Red is competing) I’ll have to see how this cake freezes. Actually, my dad’s birthday is already where they are (they are almost a day ahead). My dad will be bummed he missed out on this cake, but my mom… she will be SO jealous! Cake, specifically chocolate cake is her favorite. She is probably sitting somewhere in South Korea eating bowl after bowl of white rice, because my guess is that there is nothing else that she will eat there. She’s a little bit of a bland eater and I can guarantee you, she is not eating the smoked salmon my dad has been getting daily. And as far as desserts go? While, I know they already finished off my chocolate dunked honey nut bars, so my guess… she’s moved on to her hot cocoa (yep, she took her cocoa and cacao powders with her)? Anyway, she’s most definitely not eating chocolate cake.
I can see her now, scrolling through these photos, mouth-watering and thinking, “nooooo, I missed that. I cannot believe I missed that cake”. Sounds so dramatic, but it’s actually true. She text me those exact words when I sent her photos the other day…
SIDE NOTE: if I was in Korea, I would be eating ALL the Korean fried chicken, plus bowl after bowl of bibimbap. And sure, Korean doughnuts would be part of my daily regimen. It would be so good. 🙂
Clearly, I am a little excited about this here vegan chocolate cake. The recipe is adapted from the incredible Gena and her cookbook Food52 Vegan: 60 Vegetable-Driven Recipes for Any Kitchen. If you don’t already own this cookbook, you should probably just go buy it right now. Well, maybe print or save this recipe first… and then go buy it. Even if you’re not vegan, I promise, all the recipes are so good. And us cheese lovers, well we can always just add a little (ok a lot) when needed. Hehe, I love my cheese!
SO. When I got my hands on this cookbook, I was immediately focused on one recipe.
THE CHOCOLATE CAKE. duh.
You guys, words cannot describe how yummy this cake is. It’s layered with a creamy buttercream made up of magical ingredients. Magical I tell you. I adapted the buttercream only slightly to be a bit more almondy because I love that flavor. I also added vanilla because really, when can you ever have too much vanilla, you know?? And if you’re looking for a butter-less, buttercream, this is your recipe… and it’s healthy enough to eat with a spoon…like for breakfast?? With granola?? That would be amazing! I mean, hey, you can have your veggies (pumpkin) and your protein (almond butter). Just add some fruit (bananas??) and breakfast is complete. I’d highly recommend doubling the buttercream just so you can eat half for breakfast.
NO JOKE.
Okay and then the finishing touch is a layer of silky, smooth ganache. Oh my gosh. YESS. Are you guys looking at those swirls??? That is ganache in it’s most perfect looking form.
TO DIE FOR.
Another huge plus to this recipe is that it is SIMPLE! No fancy equipment or ingredients. It’s as easy as any other chocolate cake. You can have it made in under and hour and ready to eat in under two (you have to let the cake chill for a little to let everything stiffen up a bit). Can you say perfection or what?!?
SOOOO. Here’s the plan. Come home from work. Find the bottle of wine, cocktail or maybe even a mocktail, turn on the oven and start baking. Maybe eat some tacos or some pasta while the cake bakes and then….ditch the the booze, pour a giant glass of cold milk and eat all the cake. And I do mean ALL the cake with all the ganache 🙂
Shhhh, I won’t tell if you can’t fully wait for the cake to chill and you end up eating a warm and messy, DELICIOUS chocolate cake. Even better if you ask me.
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Creamy Chocolate Almond Butter "Buttercream".
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 1123 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups almond coconut or your milk of choice, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup melted coconut oil you can also use canola or olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups organic sugar or coconut sugar I used coconut sugar
Creamy Chocolate Filling
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree Gena's recipe uses 1 cup
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond or cashew butter Gena's recipe only used 3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
Ganache
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped finely
- 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two round, 8 or 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, add the apple cider vinegar to the milk and beat until it's frothy. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, vanilla, and sugar. Add about a third of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them together (you can use a spatula, whisk, or a hand mixer on the lowest setting). Add another third, keep mixing for a few moments, and then add the final third. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix the cake batter. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cook completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Add all the ingredients to a bender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stick in the fridge until ready to frost the cake.
Ganache
- Stir the coconut milk and maple syrup together in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Pour this mixture over the chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring every 15 minutes or so until the chocolate has thickened into a spreadable frosting.
To assemble
- Remove the cakes from their pans. Place one onto your cake stand or plate. Spread the creamy filling over the cake layer. Gently place the other cake layer over it. Spread the ganache over the entire cake and around the sides. Transfer to a refrigerator to set for an hour. Slice and EAT!
Notes
*Adapted with permission from [Food52 Vegan | http://www.amazon.com/Food52-Vegan-Vegetable-Driven-Recipes-Kitchen/dp/1607747995], by Gena Hamshaw.
Chocolate Cake for the win!! Oh, and don’t forget that flaky sea salt on top! Happy weekend! 🙂
P.S. Happy Birthday Dad! Hope you had a great day!
Making this for my daughter’s birthday for the third year in a row! She is turning 17 and loves it. Chocolatey but not too sweet! Thank you for a recipe I’m sure I’ll make many times more!
Hey Kailey,
Love to hear that your daughter is such a fan of this cake, thanks so much for making it! Happy Birthday to your daughter! xT
Can this cake be frozen with the ganache? Or should I make ahead and freeze without it and ice the cake after it’s thawed? Thank you!
Hey Cathy,
I would freeze without the ganache. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
Hi, I was wondering if you can freeze this ahead of time? Cheers, Lily
Hi Lily,
Sure, that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This cake was amazing! After making the filling I was wondering why so many skipped it! I used gluten free flour as that was necessary for the family I made this for and it was very good however I personally was not used to the texture of gluten free flour, I am excited to try it again with regular flour. You are so correct with how simple and fast it was to come together! thank you for this!
Hi Kelly,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a hit! xTieghan