Okay, so I thought the coffee hazelnut torte was the best cake ever… Well this chocolate bomb replaced the nutty cake. I’ve made this for a birthday party of two friends. They went crazy about it. I’ve never got so much positive feedback! Even the “Anti-vegans” and the people, who I’m not friends with loved it! So this cake is the perfect rough diamond to proof to friends, family or even strangers, that vegan food, especially cake doesn’t taste like dirt.
I didn’t use the whole cake batter for the torte, but also to make cake pops and a mini version of this cake for vegan meet ups. The lovely Isa, said it was the best cake she ever tried!! No, it’s not super healthy, but sometimes you gotta treat yourself with a bit of chocolate, right? 😀 Also the recipe is suuuuper simple and doesn’t require above-average skills.
The cake layers are really moist because I used apple sauce in the dough and the cream has a soft coconut note, as it’s made with coconut milk and dark chocolate.
I took these pictures right after I had taken the torte out of the refrigerator. When it’s placed in room temperature the cream melts a little bit and the cake layers get more fluffy again, just as a tip.
Keep in mind that I didn’t use all cake to build the torte, so your’s might turn out bigger than mine ( my torte had 14 cm ∅).
Recipe
Cream/ Frosting
- 400 ml (~ 1 can ) coconut milk, full fat
- 300g dark chocolate, chopped
- 50g coconut oil
- 200g powdered sugar
Cake
- 250g vegan butter/ margarine, room temperature
- 250g sugar / coconut sugar
- 200g apple sauce, unsweetened
- 450 ml chocolate soy milk *
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- a pinch of salt
*Alternatively use any other plant milk. You might want to add more sugar though.
- 100g cacao
- 350g all-purpose flour ( I used wheat flour)
- 1tsp baking soda ( German: Natron )
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Start with the cream! It has to go in the fridge for several hours. Heat up the coconut milk ( I used my microwave). It shouldn’t be boiling, but it should be very warm or hot. In a big bowl, add in your chopped chocolate and the hot coconut milk. Stir until the chocolate and milk are combined. If your chocolate chunks were too big or simply don’t want to melt completely, heat everything up again ( carefully, so it won’t burn!). Add in coconut oil and powdered sugar and mix until it’s smooth. Place the mixture in the fridge until it’s thick and creamy ( I had it in the fridge for about 5-6 hours ). If you want to play it safe, refrigerate it over night.
- Prepare the cake batter. In a big bowl mix your vegan butter, sugar and apple sauce. Add in the “milk” , apple cider vinegar and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C ( 350°F) , upper and lower heat.
- In a separate bowl mix cacao, flour, baking powder & baking soda. Pour the flour mixture to the other bowl and mix until it’s well combined.
- Spread the dough on an even baking sheet ( prepared with baking paper). If you have special cake tins, that have the same size, you can use them as well (your cake will definitely be bigger then ).
- Bake for 10-20 min ( time varies depending on the oven) , check with a small wooden stick if it’s ready → there shouldn’t be any dough on it. Let the cake cool down completely. I’d recommend to cover it with a towel the first few minutes, so it will stay nice and moist.
- I used the same “method”, that I used for the hazelnut torte, to build the torte. I think I used a little more cream in between the layers. Make sure to stir the chocolate frosting before using it, so it’s not to firm. ALSO: I spread some sugar-water ( 1 tsp sugar + 3 tbsp water) over the layers before I used the cream. That keeps the layers super moist!
- Feel free to top the torte with some fresh berries! Store it in the fridge.
- Hope you enjoy!
If you’re trying any of my recipes, make sure to tag me ( if you post it on instagram) so I won’t miss your creation and can share it in my story. Also you can send me pictures and give me a feedback, that always makes my day! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Hugs,
Gina