My Nans Chocolate Cake is a delightful vegan treat that offers a rich, chocolatey experience with simple ingredients. This cake is perfect for any occasion, providing a moist texture and deep flavour that everyone will love. The easy-to-make vegan icing adds the perfect finishing touch to this classic dessert.
Looking for other vegan desserts? You'll love my Vegan Carrot Cake recipe or my Vegan and Gluten Free Sticky Date Pudding
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Why you'll love my Nans Chocolate Cake recipe
Vegan-Friendly: This cake is completely plant-based, making it suitable for vegans and those with dairy allergies.
Simple Ingredients: Utilizes common pantry items, making it easy to prepare without special trips to the store.
Rich and Moist: The combination of soy milk and flax meal ensures a moist and flavorful cake.
Ingredients
- Soy milk: Adds moisture and richness to the cake.
- Lemon: Acts as an acid to create a vegan buttermilk.
- Vegan butter: Provides the necessary fat for a tender crumb.
- Caster sugar: Sweetens the cake without altering the texture.
- Flax meal: Serves as an egg substitute, providing binding properties.
- Cocoa powder: Delivers a deep chocolate flavour.
- Plain flour: Forms the structure of the cake.
- Salt and bicarbonate soda: Enhances flavour and leavening.
See recipe card for quantities.
Hint: Ensure all ingredients, especially the vegan butter, are at room temperature for easy mixing and better texture.
Substitutions
Almond milk instead of soy milk.
Applesauce in place of flax meal for a different texture.
Coconut oil instead of vegan butter.
Variations
Add chocolate chips to the batter for extra chocolate richness.
Incorporate nuts like walnuts or almonds for added crunch.
Use different frostings such as a vegan cream cheese frosting for variety.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. To freeze, wrap the cake (without icing) tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminium foil, and store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before icing and serving.
Top tip
Mix the batter just until combined to avoid overworking the flour, which can make the cake dense.
FAQ
Can I use regular butter? Yes, if you are not strictly vegan, you can substitute regular butter for vegan butter. I find vegan butter to be slightly more oily than regular butter, so if replacing vegan butter with regular butter, use 100g instead of 90g.
How should I store the cake? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Can I freeze the cake? Yes, the cake can be frozen without the icing. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to three months.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Nans Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup/250ml soy milk
- ½ lemon
- 90 g vegan butter softened/room temp or 100g regular butter if using
- 1 cup/215g caster sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon flax meal
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup/30g cocao powder
- 1 ½ cups/210g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
For the icing:
- 30 g vegan butter melted
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
- 1 ½ cups/160g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tbsp/15g cocao powder
Instructions
- Preheat coven to 160C and grease/line a 20cm cake tin
- Mix the flax meal and water in a small dish and leave to the side
- In another small bowl add the soy milk and lemon juice and leave to the side (this will thicken and turn into a vegan version of buttermilk)
- Add butter and sugar to a mixing bowl then using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter until pale
- Beat (on low) in the flax meal and water mixture and then beat through the soy milk until combined. The texture may look a but unusual because of the acid from the lemon curdling the milk but this doesn't effect the cake.
- Sift in flour, cocao powder, salt and bicarb soda and then fold to combine - transfer to cake tin and bake for 45 mins (poke with a knife and if it comes out dirty bake for a further 10 minutes) then allow to cool before icing,
- Sift icing sugar into a mixing bowl then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Once well combined, ice your cake and enjoy! I like to serve it with some cream and blueberries.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure all ingredients, especially the vegan butter, are at room temperature for easy mixing and better texture.
- Proper Mixing: Mix the batter just until combined to avoid overworking the flour, which can make the cake dense.
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