ABOUT THE RECIPE:
To bind the ingredients, this yummy Double-Chocolate Cake uses store-bought vegan cream cheese, which also adds moisture. Plus, this cake is so tender and delicious on it's own, that if you’re short on time, skip the frosting and simply top the cake with a dusting of vegan confectioners’ sugar!
Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
CAKE
Vegan buttery spread, to coat pan
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups vegan dark brown sugar
1½ cups chocolate dairy-free milk, divided, plus more as needed
1⁄4 cup vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING
1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup chocolate dairy-free milk
3½ ounces (about 1 large bar) vegan dark chocolate (snack-style bar, not unsweetened baking chocolate), chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon vegan brown sugar or cane sugar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round baking pan with vegan buttery spread.
To make the CAKE, put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add 1¼ cups brown sugar and stir to combine.
Put ¼ cup of the dairy-free milk, vegan cream cheese, ¼ cup oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir vigorously until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients, along with 1¼ cups of dairy-free milk and stir to combine. If the batter seems overly dry, add more dairy-free milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If cake starts to burn during baking, tent it with foil.) Put the pan on a wire rack. Carefully run a dinner knife around the edges of the cake to keep it from sticking to the side of the pan. Let the cake cool completely. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack with the top of the cake facing upward.
Once the cake has cooled, make the FROSTING. Heat 2⁄3 cup chocolate dairy-free milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. Put the chocolate pieces, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon oil in a large bowl.
Slowly pour in ½ cup of simmering dairy-free milk, whisking vigorously, adding more simmering dairy-free milk (as needed), one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is smooth and shiny. Immediately spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover cake will keep for 3 days.
Ingredients
Directions
ABOUT THE RECIPE:
To bind the ingredients, this yummy Double-Chocolate Cake uses store-bought vegan cream cheese, which also adds moisture. Plus, this cake is so tender and delicious on it's own, that if you’re short on time, skip the frosting and simply top the cake with a dusting of vegan confectioners’ sugar!
Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
CAKE
Vegan buttery spread, to coat pan
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups vegan dark brown sugar
1½ cups chocolate dairy-free milk, divided, plus more as needed
1⁄4 cup vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING
1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup chocolate dairy-free milk
3½ ounces (about 1 large bar) vegan dark chocolate (snack-style bar, not unsweetened baking chocolate), chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon vegan brown sugar or cane sugar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round baking pan with vegan buttery spread.
To make the CAKE, put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add 1¼ cups brown sugar and stir to combine.
Put ¼ cup of the dairy-free milk, vegan cream cheese, ¼ cup oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir vigorously until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients, along with 1¼ cups of dairy-free milk and stir to combine. If the batter seems overly dry, add more dairy-free milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If cake starts to burn during baking, tent it with foil.) Put the pan on a wire rack. Carefully run a dinner knife around the edges of the cake to keep it from sticking to the side of the pan. Let the cake cool completely. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack with the top of the cake facing upward.
Once the cake has cooled, make the FROSTING. Heat 2⁄3 cup chocolate dairy-free milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. Put the chocolate pieces, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon oil in a large bowl.
Slowly pour in ½ cup of simmering dairy-free milk, whisking vigorously, adding more simmering dairy-free milk (as needed), one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is smooth and shiny. Immediately spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover cake will keep for 3 days.