Vegan Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

The best Vegan Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting – a quick and easy recipe for a foolproof cake. Moist and rich chocolate cake covered in creamy chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache. 

Chocolate cake is my absolute favorite treat since I was a little, but every time I tried vegan chocolate cake in a coffee shop, I was disappointed. The buttercream was tasty, but the sponge was usually hard and not fluffy and moist at all. SO I decided to try one by myself and let me tell you this cake is the BEST! 

Ingredients 

• Plain Flour – I found out that plain flour works the best in this recipe. 
• Plant Based Milk – for this recipe any plant milk (almond, soya, oat) works great. 
• Vanilla Extract – do not skip the vanilla extract if will add a nice vanilla hint to the cupcakes. 
• Cashew butter – you can use any nut butter you prefer. I love cashew butter as it has a nice creamy texture perfect for this cake.  
• Unsweetened Cacao Powder – always use unsweetened cacao powder in this recipe. 
• Vegan Yogurt – to achieve moist cake texture vegan yoghurt works great!
• Dark Chocolate – I used a high quality 70% dark chocolate. 
• Vegan Butter – if you are looking for vegan buttercream use high quality vegan butter that can be bought easily in your local supermarket. 
• Vegan Cream Cheese – for the creamiest and most delicious buttercream add a cream cheese. It makes the buttercream lighter and so delicious. 
• Icing Sugar – the main ingredient of the vegan buttercream. 

How to make Vegan Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting?

Cake:

1. Start by preparing the cake. Preheat the oven to 350F/160C. degrees.  Grease and flour three 6 or 7-inch cake pans and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegan yoghurt, cashew butter, and vanilla.
2. In a medium-large saucepan, warm the butter over medium heat until the butter melts. whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until well combined. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the yoghurt mixture. 
3. In two batches, stir in the flour mixture until smooth. Evenly distribute the batter among the prepared pans.  Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing them from their pans. Continue to cool completely before filling. 

Buttercream:

1. Whisk the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powder sugar and cream cheese and mix for a few minutes. 
2. Divide the buttercream into 2 parts and add melted chocolate into one part. 
3. The cream will be lightened at this time so chill the cream for 15 minutes before icing the cake. 
4. Fill and frost the cake after 15 minutes and finish off with chocolate ganache (make by melting the chocolate with and coconut milk) and top chopped cashews.  

How to store Vegan Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting?

The cake is best fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake and use it any time you need. 

Can I substitute any ingredients?

Yes! In this recipe, you can easily swap for normal butter and cream cheese if you are not vegan. You can also use any nut butter if you do not have cashew butter. 

MORE VEGAN DESSERTS FOR YOU TO TRY

• Pistachio Carrot Cake
• Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
• Chocolate Baked Oats
• Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies (3 Ingredients)

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