You probably won't believe that a layer cake which doesn't contain dairy and eggs can taste absolutely divine… But it's true! Below is the recipe of the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake: moist, delicious and healthy!
What is special about this recipe
I am not a vegan, neither vegetarian but I like to experiment. I also know that even people who can't eat dairy and eggs due to health conditions still would like to indulge in moist and tasty cakes sometimes.
This recipe is for them and not only: even if you don't normally avoid animal products, you will be impressed by the taste of this cake. You would never guess it is vegan if you didn't know it.
What makes this cake so great?
The layers are moist and delicious, made of spelt, coconut flour and flax seeds. Here is a trick you might not know: you can easily substitute eggs in different desserts with ground flax seeds or chia seeds soaked in water. This mixture creates a texture that keeps the structure of the baked goods.
The layers of the cake are covered by a wonderfully delicious coconut chocolate mousse. if you haven't tasted a chocolate mousse made of coconut cream, you surely don't imagine the rich and delicious taste that it has! Since I tried it I am not sure any more if I prefer the chocolate mousse made with real chocolate and dairy (like for example the Double Chocolate Mouse with Raspberry sauce) or the one made of coconut cream and cocoa powder.
Is this a healthy cake
Many vegan cake recipes call for margarin which is practically vegan butter. I don't like very much that product as it often contains unhealthy trans fats. The Vegan Chocolate Cake is made with olive oil, considered one of the healthiest oils in the world. Olive oil is liquid so it gives more moisture to the layers. Well, you can substitute it with another vegetable oil but it might not be as healthy.
Spelt flour and flax seeds are well known healthy ingredients as well, very rich in different vitamins and minerals.
Is the recipe easy
There is nothing complicated in the preparation of this cake. Just bake the base it in one pan, cut it in three layers and frost it all around with the coconut chocolate mousse. The mousse is also very easy to make and takes only about 15 minutes.
Certainly this cake will bring you a lot of joy and a great chocolate satisfaction without much guilt!
📝 Recipe
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake base:
- 3 tbs ground flax seeds
- ½ cup/ 110 ml water
- ¼ cup/ 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups/ 200 g spelt flour, whole grain
- ⅔ cups/ 130 g dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup/ 70 g light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup/ 60 ml olive oil, extra virgin
- ⅔ cup/ 150 ml soy milk, or other non dairy milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2,5 tsp/ 20 g coconut flour
For the Coconut Chocolate Mousse:
- 1 can coconut cream, cold (14 fl. oz./400 ml)
- ⅓ cup/ 130 ml maple syrup
- ⅓ cup/ 30 g cocoa powder
Instructions
Cake Base:
- Soak the flax seeds in water for 5-10 minutes. This mixture is the egg substitute.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C /350 degrees F.
- Line a 17-18 cm cake pan with a circle of baking paper. Grease well the pan.
- In a bowl combine spelt flour, coconut flour and baking powder.
- In a large bowl whisk thoroughly together the flax seed eggs with the two kinds of sugar for 5 minutes. Try to break all the crumbs that the dark brown sugar might have formed (however it won’t be an issue if few of them remain).
- Add olive oil, milk and vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gradually fold in the dry ingredients until absorbed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool until room temperature before assembling the cake (ideally refrigerate the cake base in order to cut it easier into 3 layers).
Coconut Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
- Spoon the coconut cream in a large mixing bowl. Remove any liquid that might remain in the can (coconut water).
- Add maple syrup to the bowl. Using an electric mixer beat together the coconut cream and maple syrup at a high speed for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Add cocoa powder and beat at lower speed, until it is absorbed. Switch back to high speed and beat for few more minutes, until the frosting thickens but still remains creamy.
To assemble the cake:
- Using a long serrated knife cut the cake base horizontally into three equal layers. Place one layer on a serving plate and cover it generously with frosting. Continue the process with the remaining two layers. Leave a bit more than ⅓ of the frosting for the top and the sides of the cake. Use a metal spatula to smoothen the top.
Notes
- Instead of soy milk you can use almond or rice milk
- You can change the proportions of the dark and light brown sugar
Regina says
Hi Dani,
Well, I finally got around to baking this cake. It was an easy process and fun to work with new ingredients. I liked that the cake baked flat (no dome), but I think I over baked it a bit as the edges came out a bit hard. And I chickened out and made it into 2 layers instead of three. The only snag I had was with the frosting, much to my disappointment because I was looking forward to that part the most. I drained the coconut and scooped out the solids, but some of it was rather soft. (I had the can in the cupboard and it has been rather warm of late.) When I started mixing with the syrup, I could tell right away that there was too much liquid and it separated. I really didn't want to drain it again because I'd lose the sweetness of the syrup, but I did, and I ended up with an extra 1/2 cup of liquid and less than a cup of creamed coconut solid that wasn't anything like a mousse in texture.
I was afraid to whip more syrup into the creamed coconut so I used powdered sugar instead, about 1 1/2 cups, and the cocoa powder. I liked the flavor--the coconut was divine--but I was bummed that it didn't have that mousse-y feel. I also like the taste of the cake, but it was more dense than I prefer. If you could advise on how I could improve my frosting for the next time, I'd really like to try that again, but on a regular chocolate cake the next time.
Daniela says
Hi Regina, I am sorry that the Frosting didn’t go as expected.
Actually I just realised that I haven’t mentioned in the recipe that it has to be cold, or refrigerated for 6-8 hours. I will update the recipe. Sorry for not mentioning that earlier.
Regina says
Ok, now that makes sense! I'll have to try it again. Thanks!
Daniela says
Hi Regina,
It feels like a "regular" cake, surprisingly even for me 🙂 The cake is moist due to the flax seeds and olive oil, even though it is not as fluffy as other cakes. It raises relatively well during baking. I recommend you to try it, and please share your feedback afterwards! 🙂
Regina says
Hi Daniela,
Now, I'm not a vegan fan either, and I almost skipped this post altogether. However, when I read the bit about the coconut chocolate mousse frosting and how you may even prefer it over the Double Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce (how is THAT even possible?), I'm more than curious. I'm familiar with coconut flour, but spelt and flax seeds and olive oil for cake? How's the texture? Does it feel like 'regular' cake? When it bakes, does the top dome? I may want to try it for myself, but I'd have to do it under the radar; otherwise, my best friend will not try it no matter what I say! LOL. But she sure loves coconut!