A vegan cake that tastes just like a traditional rich chocolate cake? Huh! Never! There’s no way, right? Well, I was wrong. I’d choose this cake over any cake on a dessert table. And I can guarantee you that no-one would even notice that it was a wheat-free, egg-free, milk-free and refined sugar-free cake.

It is so simple to make, it doesn’t stick to the pan, and is so versatile. I’ve used this recipe to make cupcakes and they were a huge hit! (See notes below on how to convert recipe to cupcakes.)

This will definitely be my go-to recipe for birthdays. For an occasion I’ll be sure to make two cakes, spreading whipped coconut cream between the layers and top with frosting, berries & chocolate shavings.

Method

I use a 20cm springform loose-base cake pan.

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F).

Cake

Blend the soaked dates and 1 cup of water (I use the cooled water the dates were soaked in) in a processor or high speed blender until smooth.

Add the rest of the cake ingredients and blend briefly until just combined.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula or back of spoon.

Bake for approximately 30 – 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Remove cake from pan and cool on a cooling rack. The cake needs to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender or processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add a little more milk and blend again.

Spread frosting over the cooled cake with a spatula or if you want to pipe on the frosting, fill the piper and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour to thicken before piping.

Toppings

Add grated chocolate, fresh berries and drizzle homemade raw chocolate over the cake.

Place in the fridge and bring out just before serving.

Notes

*   If you prefer a grain-free version, substitute the oat flour for almond flour.

** I make my own baking powder by using 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar with 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. This will give you the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of baking powder. I add 3 of these to my cake to make it up to 1 tablespoon.

Adaptions

If you want to make cupcakes, fill 7 cupcake tins with the batter and cook for approximately 25 minutes.

Don’t use cupcake liners as the batter tends to stick to the paper. The cupcakes come out really easily from the baking tin so you can put them in a wrapper after they are baked.

If you want to make a slightly bigger cake (ie in a 23cm cake tin) adapt the recipe to 1.5 times the quantities.

For a show-stopper cake, you can make two cakes and fill the centre with coconut cream.