The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake
, Updated Oct 13, 2022
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Simply the BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake! This egg free and dairy free chocolate cake is perfect for birthdays and celebrations. Incredibly easy to make all in one bowl with a moist chocolate sponge and amazing vegan chocolate buttercream.
Enjoy with Artesano de Argento Organic Fairtrade Malbec Cabernet Franc.
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In Collaboration with Artesano de Argento
Getting together with family and friends is so precious, especially lately. And no gathering would be complete without a fabulous cake for everyone to enjoy!
This vegan chocolate cake is perfect for any occasion – it looks spectacular, and tastes absolutely incredible!
A super moist nut, egg and dairy free chocolate cake recipe is hard to find and trust me when I say this is the best… and you can make it gluten free too if you like.
Nobody will realise this is a “free-from” chocolate cake however – they will simply ask for a second helping!
The secret to this super moist vegan chocolate cake? Unexpectedly, it is a splash of Artesano de Argento Organic Fairtrade Malbec Cabernet Franc!
This delicious Malbec blend from Argentina is vegan, organic, and fairtrade and its aromas of cherries, plums, currant leaves and ripe fruit are a match made in heaven with dark chocolate.
There’s plenty of wine left for you to enjoy with a slice of the cake but I would nudge you gently to stock up as it is currently on offer for under £10 a bottle and available from Sainsbury’s online and selected stores.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
This is such a quick and easy recipe, made all in one bowl, with no mixer required! You will not need any hard to find ingredients either – just plain flour, sugar, cocoa powder, oat milk, vegetable oil, vinegar and red wine. You can’t taste the wine in the cake, it simply enhances the flavour of the chocolate.
I added my super-rich vegan chocolate buttercream and a medley of red fruit to complement the flavours of the Malbec. If you are a chocolate purist but you can simply decorate with chocolate curls or extra frosting if you prefer.
HOW TO MAKE MY VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Put the vegetable oil, red wine, vinegar, oat milk and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix together.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda and use a balloon whisk to combine the wet and dry ingredients until you have a smooth glossy batter.
Divide between two greased and lined cake tins and bake for 25-28 minutes in a 180C (350F) preheated oven. The cake is ready when risen and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Leave the cake layers in their tins for 5 minutes, run a knife along the edge then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
MAKE THE SYRUP
Put blackberries, wine and sugar in a saucepan. Muddle the berries and bring to a simmer until the sauce is thickened. Strain and discard the berries, reserving the syrup. Cool before using.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
Add the softened vegan butter, icing sugar and melted chocolate into a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed initially, increasing to high as ingredients combine.
Add the red wine (or extra warm milk) until the frosting is smooth, creamy and holds peaks.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Sandwich the cake layers with the buttercream and blackberries. Pipe a generous layer of frosting over the entire cake and smooth the top and sides using a bench scraper.
Drizzle the syrup along the edge of the frosted cake letting it drip down the side.Decorate with fresh blackberries, cherries and redcurrants, slice and enjoy!
RECIPE TIPS AND FAQS
– If you would prefer not to use wine in the cake and frosting, replace with equal volume of non dairy milk or hot coffee.
– Replace the fresh blackberries in the syrup and cake filling with my homemade blackberry jam.
How long will this vegan chocolate cake keep? The cake, without the fruit topping, stays fresh and moist for a few days at room temperature in a cake container. Store in the fridge if you add fruit otherwise they will spoil.
– Leave the cake sides uncovered and drip blackberry sauce or chocolate down the sides if preferred.
HAVE YOU MADE MY VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
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The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Sponge
- 120 ml | ½ cup sunflower oil
- 240 ml (1 cup) oat milk, or your choice vegan milk
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) red wine or coffee
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 230 g (1 ¼ cups + 3 tbsp) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 230 g (packed 1 cup +2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 100 g (¾ cup) cocoa powder
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ tsp salt
Frosting and filling
- 480 g (5 cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 340 g (1 1/2 cups) vegan butter, softened
- 100 g (¾ cup) dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 ml (¼ cup) oat milk, warm
- 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine or more milk
- 50 g (⅓ cup) fresh blackberries (optional) for the filling
Blackberry syrup
- 50 g (⅓ cup) blackberries
- 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine or water
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
To decorate
- Medley of fruit such as blackberries , cherries, redcurrants etc
- Chocolate curls or shavings
Instructions
Make the cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Mist 2 x 20cm / 9inch or 3 x 15cm / 6inch cake tins with cake release and line the base with grease proof paper.
- Put the vegetable oil, red wine, vinegar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl and mix together.
- Sift in the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and use a balloon whisk to mix together until you have a glossy thick batter.
- Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. You might need to level the cakes before assembling the cake.
Make the syrup
- Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Muddle the berries and bring to a simmer until the sauce is thickened. Strain and discard the berries, reserving the syrup. Cool before using.
Make the buttercream
- Add all the ingredients apart from the red wine into a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed initially increasing to high as ingredients combine.
- Add the red wine (or extra warm milk) until the frosting is smooth, creamy and holds peaks.
Assemble the cake
- Sandwich the cake layers with the buttercream and blackberries. Pipe a generous layer of frosting over the entire cake and smooth the top and sides using a bench scraper.
- Drizzle the blackberry syrup around the edge of the cake letting it drip prettily down the sides.
- Decorate with fresh blackberries, cherries and redcurrants, slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
