Vegan Chocolate Cake

January 14, 2013

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake


There are times when you just want a slice of chocolate cake. Often those times are a Monday night, after a long day at work (and an exhausting but well worth workout), and rightfully deserve a simple recipe. One that can accommodate everybody: vegans and non-vegans.
That’s when this chocolate cake comes into play. You’ll throw it together in a matter of minutes. It's less trouble to make than it is to go out, find a vegan bakery and buy something.
A small slice goes the distance. It's intense, hardcore chocolatey with a mild (but rich) coconut aftertaste.
You know Mounds candy bar? The one with the coconut based center enrobed with dark chocolate? This cake reminds a bit that. Just better. A total crowd-pleaser.
Right out of the oven

Coconut oil and brown sugar creamed together. Flax egg and whole wheat flour. All in one bowl. Mix, scoop and pop in the oven. That’s about it!
Brown sugar and coconut oil
Awesome Vegan Batter



I don’t even have to mention that this cake is super healthy. Seriously, it’s a mix of pure bliss. Soy milk, cocoa, coconut oil, flax, and whole wheat flour. Is there anything more to ask to a chocolate cake? If you’re feeling fancy serve it with some fresh berries, dusted with some confectioners sugar, and if you’re in the mood with a dollop of vegan ice-cream. It doesn’t get better than that!

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Print this Recipe!
Adapted from At Home With Magnolia

If you’re less sugar cautious than me, you can certainly add ½ cup more of sugar (that’s what the original recipe called for). I don’t feel there’s any real need though.
Don’t sub the coconut oil with other “stuff”, it’s what makes this vegan chocolate cake the best vegan chocolate cake you’ll ever have.

Ingredients

½ cup / 4 oz / 113 gr coconut oil, at room temperature
1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr firmly packed brown sugar
1 flax egg
1 cup / 250 ml soy buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup / 6.8 oz / 195 gr whole wheat flour
¾ cup / 2.6 oz / 75 gr cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

*You just need to add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of soymilk and let sit for 10 minutes, to get soy buttermilk

Directions

First thing, make the flax egg. If you don’t know where to start from, follow these instructions.
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C), place a rack in the middle. Grease with vegetable oil (I used peanut oil) and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer (or by hand with a wooden spoon) cream the coconut oil until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the flax egg and beat well, then the buttermilk and vanilla. The batter will look a bit uneven, that’s ok, it will come together in the end.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into the wet ingredients. Stir together with a metal spoon until well-blended but do not overmix.
Scrape the side of the bowl, making sure that all the ingredients are well blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes, at which point you can cool it out of the pan. Then have at it, just make sure not to burn your tongue.

Nutrition facts

I cut 14 slices out of one loaf, each slice scoring the following nutrition facts: 198 calories, 8.7 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs and 3 grams of protein.

19 comments:

  1. Great recipe and great pictures too!

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  2. Can't wait to try this. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I love chocolate and never had a vegan cake before. I so have to make this.

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  4. Yum! Looks so delicious. We will seriously be trying this one out.

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  5. Sounds great! Do you have any gluten free flour suggestions that would work well with this?

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    1. I think that brown rice flour or sorghum would work best. Maybe you can mix in some buckwheat as well; to accentuate the darker color and, more importantly, the density. Let me know how that works!

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  6. Thank you very much for posting this recipe! I adapted it to be gluten-free by using 3/4 cup almond meal + 1/4 cup brown rice flour + 1/4 cup cornstarch. It is wonderfully delicious--and not too sweet! My pan was wider, 9x5x4, I believe, so it did not need to bake for nearly as long. Otherwise, everything else came together beautifully!

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    1. Thank you Jackie for the feedback and the gluten-free sub. If that's ok with you, I'm gonna add a note giving that option!

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    2. Of course! I am still really enjoying the cake (I have refrigerated it). I have some high-protein bean flour on hand, which I may try as well. I've had good luck with it in the past in GF chocolate cakes. If I try it, I'll report back on the results.

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    3. Jackie,
      Did you use any xanthum gum in your mix?

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    4. Hey Christi,

      I've asked Jackie and here's her response:

      "No, I did not use any xanthan gum and found the texture was still just right.

      As a general rule of thumb, I've stopped using xanthan gum as it is expensive and I am not fully-convinced that it makes a difference in the final texture. When it does appear in a recipe on occasion, I have found that mixing an equivalent amount of chia or ground flax seeds with twice the amount of hot water (e.g., 1 tsp xanthan gum = 1 tsp chia/flax + 2 tsp hot water) is a great substitute"

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  7. Recipe looks good. I am not big fan of sugar. Is it okay if i substitute sugar with honey or agave nectar ? Will really appreciate if you can help with this. Thank you

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    1. I haven't tried subbing sugar with honey or agave. Not sure whether this would work though. The mixture might result too wet and lacking real cake-like consistency. But I would give it a try nonetheless!

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  8. SO GOOD! Wow! Just had a piece...delicious. Easy to make.

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  9. I used half the sugar and some agave and it was not too wet. Maybe it was the fan assisted oven, as well?




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  10. Any sub for the whole wheat flour?

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  11. Recipe looks great. I'm not enormous aficionado of sugar. Is it alright in the event that I substitute sugar with nectar or agave nectar ? Will truly like if you can assist with this. Much thanks to you

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