This indulgent, chocolatey bake is the perfect treat for a dark January evening. If you are trying plant-based this Veganuary then simply use your favourite Vegan friendly chocolate for the frosting and Hey Presto, you have a sumptuously velvetly vegan chocolate cake! You would never guess it’s free from dairy, eggs and wheat!
Ingredients
For the cake
- Dairy-free sunflower spread, for greasing
- 350g gluten-free plain flour
- 300g light muscovado sugar
- 400ml unsweetened soya milk
- 1 large, ripe avocado (about 150g)
- 50g good quality cocoa powder
- 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 150ml vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate frosting
- 200g Lily O’Brien’s chocolate or your favourite Vegan Chocolate alternative
- 85g dairy-free sunflower spread
- 85g mashed ripe avocado flesh
- 125ml unsweetened soya milk
- 200g icing sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the vanilla frosting
- 150g dairy free margarine
- 170g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- Broken and whole pecans to decorate
Method
1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease two small sandwich tins with a little dairy-free sunflower spread, then line the bases with baking parchment.
2. Place the flesh of 1 large avocado and the light muscovado sugar into a food processor and whizz until smooth.
3. Add the gluten-free plain flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, gluten-free baking powder, unsweetened soya milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the bowl with ½ tsp fine salt and whizz again to combine into a velvety, liquid batter.
4. Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 25 mins or until fully risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
5. Cool the cakes in the tins for at least 5 minutes, then turn the cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
6. While you wait, start preparing both the frostings. To make the vanilla frosting, cream the margarine in a bowl on a low speed until nice, creamy and light in colour, then carefully sift in the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whizz everything together until fully combined. This is the filling between your two cakes.
7. For the chocolate frosting, beat together 85g ripe avocado flesh andthe dairy-free sunflower spread with electric beaters until creamy and smooth. Pass through a sieve and set aside.
8. Melt the Lily O’Brien’s chocolate, either over a bowl of water or in the microwave, then let it cool for a few mins.
9. Sift the cocoa powder into a large bowl. Bring the unsweetened soya milk to a simmer, then gradually beat into the cocoa until smooth. Cool for a few mins.
10. Tip in the avocado mix, sifted icing sugar, melted chocolate and vanilla extract, and keep mixing to make a shiny, thick frosting. Use this to sandwich and top the cake.
11. Once you’ve assembled your cakes on top of each other and covered it in frosting, sprinkle over with your own decoration, we’ve used pecans here but you can decorate it how you like, then leave to set for 10 mins before slicing. The cake can be made 2 days ahead of time.
