This is hands down the best rich vegan chocolate cake I have ever had the good fortune to make and it. It’d dark, it’s chocolatey and it ticks all the right boxes that turn it from an average cake into a truly decadent dessert. From a cake decorating perspective it also provides a really nice firm base on which to work if you want to cover with fondant.
Now I really like to use almond milk in my vegan cakes because I just find it far more palatable than soya and less heavy than oat but really it’s up to personal preference. Obviously, if you have someone in your family (like I do) who is severely nut allergic, then you’ll have to opt for one of the others in which case coconut milk is my new favourite go to although you might get a slightly coconutty taste with that one.
We also need to talk vegan butter. My preference for this vegan chocolate cake is to use Stork blocks which are rather conveniently vegan. Don’t be confused with Stork tubs though as those are not vegan. Vitalite is also a good alternative and retains a somewhat buttery taste to it despite being plant-based. Flora plant butter though is a fabulous alternative, particularly for the icing as it sets up firmer than Vitalite or Stork. It comes in both salted and unsalted varieties – you can get away with using salted in the recipe if you like that sweet/salty contrast but definitely stick to unsalted for the buttercream. There are increasing numbers of vegan butters on the market but those tend to be the ones I stick to in the main.
Finally, let’s mention the buttercream. The version in this recipe is a basic buttercream which serves its purpose and tastes delicious but you can level up even more if you want by creating a vegan chocolate ganache using dark chocolate such as Montezuma’s or Moo Free. Montezuma’s is one of my faves because it loses none of its flavour by being dairy-free. Add this to coconut milk, heat and mix to form a vegan ganache – normal ratio is 2 parts chocolate to one part milk so for a cake like this try 250g chocolate mixed with 125g coconut milk. Make up an ordinary buttercream with vegan butter and icing sugar, roughly the same ratio as the ganache – two parts icing sugar to one part butter – add a dash of vanilla and then mix in the ganache, which should be cooled but not firm, to taste.
Rich Vegan Chocolate Cake
This is hands down the best vegan chocolate cake I have ever tasted. Rich, moist and truly decadent, you'd never realise this is purely plant-based. This recipe will make three 8" rounds for a triple layer cake
Hand mixer or standing mixer for buttercream Optional
Ingredients
450mlDairy-free milkI prefer almond milk but any will do
2 tbsplemon juice
225gNon-dairy margarineStork blocks (not tubs) are vegan. Flora unsalted plant butter or Vitalite also good
415gSelf-raising flour
265gCaster sugar
6tbspCocoa powder
4.5 tbspGolden syrupYou can use agave or maple if you prefer
0.5 tbsp Coffee granules
1tspBicarbonate of soda
Vegan buttercream
325gDairy-free butterUse Flora unsalted butter for a firmer buttercream
600gIcing sugar
150gCocoa powder
2tbspDairy-free milk
1tspVanilla essence
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180c (160c for fan-assisted ovens). Grease and line with baking parchment three 8" round cake tins.
Add the lemon juice to the diary-free milk and set aside.
Melt the margarine, syrup and coffee together, either in the microwave on short blasts or in a saucepan over medium heat. Set to one side to cool for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and sugar together.
Add the milk to the dry mixture and mix well. Finally add the margarine mixture to the main mixture and mix until well-combined.
Divide equally into three tins and cook in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until well-risen and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Buttercream
In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together the margarine with the cocoa powder and icing sugar on a slow speed until combined. This is important if you don't want icing to fly everywhere! Once combined, then you can whack up the speed.
Add in a little of the dairy-free milk to loosen if it seems too stiff.
Beat on high speed using a hand mixer or standing mixer until airy and fluffy.
Once the cake is cool you might need to trim the tops flat using a serrated knife.
Spread a layer generously with buttercream on the first layer,then gently press the second layer on top. Repeat with the final layer, inverting it so the bottom is on the top to give it a nice sharp edge.
Decorate the sides and top of the cake if you wish.
Best Rich Vegan Chocolate Cake Ever!
This is hands down the best rich vegan chocolate cake I have ever had the good fortune to make and it. It’d dark, it’s chocolatey and it ticks all the right boxes that turn it from an average cake into a truly decadent dessert. From a cake decorating perspective it also provides a really nice firm base on which to work if you want to cover with fondant.
Now I really like to use almond milk in my vegan cakes because I just find it far more palatable than soya and less heavy than oat but really it’s up to personal preference. Obviously, if you have someone in your family (like I do) who is severely nut allergic, then you’ll have to opt for one of the others in which case coconut milk is my new favourite go to although you might get a slightly coconutty taste with that one.
We also need to talk vegan butter. My preference for this vegan chocolate cake is to use Stork blocks which are rather conveniently vegan. Don’t be confused with Stork tubs though as those are not vegan. Vitalite is also a good alternative and retains a somewhat buttery taste to it despite being plant-based. Flora plant butter though is a fabulous alternative, particularly for the icing as it sets up firmer than Vitalite or Stork. It comes in both salted and unsalted varieties – you can get away with using salted in the recipe if you like that sweet/salty contrast but definitely stick to unsalted for the buttercream. There are increasing numbers of vegan butters on the market but those tend to be the ones I stick to in the main.
Finally, let’s mention the buttercream. The version in this recipe is a basic buttercream which serves its purpose and tastes delicious but you can level up even more if you want by creating a vegan chocolate ganache using dark chocolate such as Montezuma’s or Moo Free. Montezuma’s is one of my faves because it loses none of its flavour by being dairy-free. Add this to coconut milk, heat and mix to form a vegan ganache – normal ratio is 2 parts chocolate to one part milk so for a cake like this try 250g chocolate mixed with 125g coconut milk. Make up an ordinary buttercream with vegan butter and icing sugar, roughly the same ratio as the ganache – two parts icing sugar to one part butter – add a dash of vanilla and then mix in the ganache, which should be cooled but not firm, to taste.
Rich Vegan Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan buttercream
Instructions
Buttercream