Vegan gluten free chocolate cake
Nut free, egg/dairy free, xanthan gum free *Cups and measures are in Australian cups and measures and are included only for the purpose of eyeballing if you have enough of each ingredient. Use gram and ml weight for accuracy, particularly for international readers.
Ingredients
Dry:
- 120 g (3/4 cup)* white rice flour
- 30 g (1/4 cup)* tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup (45g)* Dutch processed cocoa
- 4 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 3 g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda (bicarb soda)
- 4 teaspoons psyllium husk
Wet:
- 125 ml (1/2 cup)* plant based milk of choice (I used soy)
- 10 ml 2 teaspoons acid (white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
- 150 g (2/3 cup)* light brown sugar
- 125 ml (1/2 cup)* oil (I used vegetable)
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* fresh espresso (or extra boiling water)
- 180 ml (3/4 cup)* boiling water
Icing:
- 100 g plant based butter chilled
- 160 g (1 cup)* pure icing sugar, sieved
- 45g Dutch processed cocoa
- 1-2 tablespoons plant based milk of choice to reach your desired icing consistency
Instructions
To make the chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm cake pan. Because the batter is quite liquid a springform pan isn’t suitable here.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the milk and acid and leave it for a few minutes to curdle. Add all the remaining wet ingredients except for the boiling water and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until the batter is smooth. It should feel lightly aerated under the whisk.
- Pour in the boiling water and whisk to combine. This will bloom the cocoa and gelatinize the starches in the flours, helping hold the cake together.
- Once the batter is smooth and the water is totally incorporated, pour the batter into the greased pan and place In the oven for 30-35 minutes. Allow it to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before gently tipping it out onto a cooling rack.
- Because this is an oil based cake, it keeps well on the counter for a few days. The cake can also be frozen. Allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the chocolate buttercream
- Combine the plant based butter and icing sugar in a large bowl or your stand mixer. Using hand beaters or whisk attachment to beat until light and fluffy. Once fluffy, add the cocoa and milk and beat until a smooth buttercream forms. Vegan butter melts faster than traditional butter, so place the icing in the fridge if it begins to melt.
- Ice the cake and add any toppings of your choice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!