A classic vegan chocolate cake will make you wonder why anyone ever bothered using eggs in a chocolate cake. It is light, rich and moist, and perfect as the basis for anything from a towering chocolate fudge cake to cupcakes to black forest gateau.
It’s also one of those really easy, foolproof vegan cakes for which you assemble the dry and wet ingredients and then just mix them together.
There are lots of recipes out there for vegan chocolate sponge. This recipe is a little different in that it uses a mixture of margarine and oil to achieve a richer flavour without compromising on moisture.
It also features a small amount of cinnamon. This is entirely a matter of taste preference, so skip it if you’re not a fan of cinnamon.
I have added a rich chocolate icing: a chocolate buttercream with melted dark chocolate, which results in an intensely flavoured and slightly less sweet icing. (I’ve also included a picture below of a smooth frosting with a ‘Jackson Pollock’ effect in different shades of chocolate, which is good for a celebration cake.)
This recipe will make a tall cake in a 6″ tin or a slightly shallower 7″ cake. For a larger cake, you might want to scale up the ingredients, but it’s so rich that the smaller cake will provide six to eight good-sized servings.
The mixture will rise to form quite a dome in the oven, so you will probably need to slice a bit off the top of the bottom layer. This may seem wasteful but it means you have something to eat while the icing sets!
classic vegan chocolate cake…
ingredients
- 220 g plain white/unbleached flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 170 g white or light brown sugar
- 60 g vegan margarine (one with a flavour you like)
- 40 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
for the rich chocolate icing
- 100 g icing (confectioner’s) sugar
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 20 g coconut oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oat or other non-dairy milk
- 50 g dark chocolate
- dark chocolate vermicelli (optional)
method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and very lightly oil/line the base of two 6″ round cake tins (7″ will also work but you may have to reduce the baking time a bit).
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and cinnamon (if using) into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar to the flour mixture and stir or whisk to combine thoroughly.
- In a measuring jug, warm the oil and margarine together in the microwave until the margarine has melted.
- Add the vanilla, vinegar and 200 ml of water to the margarine mixture and whisk to combine.
- Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients until it is fairly smooth. Don’t over mix, and don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth.
- Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for around half an hour until they are well risen and firm to touch in the centre.
- Allow the sponges to cool before icing.
- To make the icing, soften the coconut oil and beat together with the icing sugar, cocoa and milk until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate and stir through the ‘buttercream’ mixture. If it is too firm to spread evenly, soften it a little in the microwave before using.
- If necessary, slice a bit off the top of one of the sponges with a sharp knife to create a flatter base. Spread up to half of the icing on the bottom layer before placing the second sponge on top and spreading with the remainder of the icing.
- If you are using vermicelli, sprinkle it on before the icing sets.
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