Super Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
Intensely chocolatey, perfectly moist, super pretty and dead easy to make – this vegan chocolate cake is EVERYTHING a chocolate cake should be, and more. With no egg replacements and no fancy ingredients or equipment needed – this is the vegan dessert recipe you need to make. ASAP.
Ingredients
For vegan chocolate cake:
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g) dark chocolate, chopped (I love Guittard's 64% and 72% chocolate – you can use either, depending on how bitter-sweet you like your chocolate cake to be)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) melted coconut oil
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp (265 g) plain all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (200 g) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 mL) non-dairy milk, room temperature (such as almond, soy, rice or oat milk)
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) warm water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For vegan chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup (200 g) coconut cream (Note 1)
- 5 1/3 oz (150 g) dark chocolate, chopped (as for the sponge, I recommend Guittard's 64% and 72% chocolate)
- chocolate shaving, sprinkles or other decorations of choice
Instructions
For vegan chocolate cake:
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Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake tin with baking/greaseproof paper.
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In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil. Set aside to cool slightly.
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Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Add the sugar and whisk well until everything is evenly distributed.
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Mix together the non-dairy milk, warm water and lemon juice, and add them to the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted chocolate + coconut oil mixture, and whisk well until you get a smooth cake batter with no flour clumps.
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Transfer the cake batter to the lined cake tin, smooth out the top, and bake at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for about 1 hour or until well risen, spongy/bouncy to the touch and an inserted toothpick/skewer comes out clean.
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Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for about 10 minutes, then remove from the cake tin and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For vegan chocolate ganache:
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In a saucepan, heat the coconut cream until it starts to boil.
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Place the chopped dark chocolate into a heat-proof bowl, and pour over the hot coconut cream. Allow to stand for 2 - 3 minutes, then stir together into a smooth ganache.
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Allow to cool, either at room temperature or in the fridge, with frequent stirring, until it reaches the consistency at which it can be spread on top of the cake.
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Swirl the chocolate ganache on top of the cake.
As the ganache cools completely, it will firm up significantly. If you leave it too long, so it can't be spread nicely onto the cake, re-heat it briefly in the microwave and stir well, until you reach the desired consistency.
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Decorate with chocolate shaving, sprinkles or other decorations of choice (fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or cherries work well too).
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Enjoy!
Storage:
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The vegan chocolate cake keeps well in a closed container (or wrapped in cling film) in a cool dry place (or in the fridge) for 3 - 4 days.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You can get coconut cream by putting cans of coconut milk into the fridge for a few hours (or preferably overnight) – without shaking! The coconut milk will separate into coconut cream (that you'll need in this recipe) and coconut water (which is great in smoothies).