We love chocolate cake (who doesn’t?!) and we fell instantly in love with Nina from Bakes Cakes and Eats’ vegan #bakedairyfree entry!
Nina’s kindly shared her delicious recipe with us:
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
- 200g sugar (Nina uses homemade vanilla caster sugar)
- 100g Pure Dairy Free
- 225g plain flour
- 25g vegan cocoa powder
- 1tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 250ml chilled dairy-free milk ( Nina recommends using coconut milk, but almond, soy etc would be fine)
- 1 tbsp vinegar (distilled or balsamic)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 115g Pure Dairy Free
- 40g dark brown soft sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 50g vegan cocoa powder
- 375g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp dairy-free milk (again, coconut milk is recommended but any other dairy-free milk will do!)
METHOD
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar and Pure Dairy Free together until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt (‘the dry ingredients’).
- In a jug or other suitable container, whisk together the milk, vinegar and vanilla extract (‘the wet ingredients’).
- To the sugar/Pure Dairy Free mixture, alternately add half of the dry ingredients followed by half of the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition, until they are all used up.
- Divide the cake batter between 2 8-inch round cake tins (greased with a little Pure Dairy Free spread and the bases lined with baking parchment) and bake the cakes for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 180o C. Test they are cooked by inserting a cocktail stick into the middle. It should come out clean.
- Cool in the tins for half an hour or so (they are fragile when still warm) before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting:
- Beat the Pure Dairy Free, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Sift together the cocoa powder and icing sugar and gradually beat this into the butter/sugar/vanilla mix.
- Add in as much dairy-free milk as necessary to create a spreadable consistency.
- Assemble the cake, sandwiching the layers together with the frosting and covering the top and sides, too.
- Devour with a delicious cup of tea and thank the world for cocoa!
You can find other recipes from Nina on her blog here.