Description
This Vegan Devil’s Food Cake is an epic chocolate delight made without any animal products, featuring rich Dutch-processed cacao, muscovado sugar, and a moist, tender crumb achieved through a blend of olive oil, aquafaba, and vegan yogurt. It is layered with a luscious vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and elegantly decorated with grated dark chocolate for a stunning and indulgent cake perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup cacao powder (Dutch processed)
- ½ cup muscovado sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup soya milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup olive oil (or neutral tasting oil)
- 4 tablespoons aquafaba
- 4 tablespoons vegan yoghurt (Greek style recommended)
- ½ cup boiled water
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar (superfine)
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Frosting & Garnish
- 1.5x batches vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe notes)
- 7 oz vegan dark chocolate (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F). Line the base of three 7″ cake tins with parchment paper circles and spray the sides with oil spray. For 6″ cake tins, use four pans.
- Make Cocoa Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine cacao powder, muscovado sugar, instant coffee, and vanilla extract. Add ½ cup boiled water and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: In a small bowl, mix soya milk and apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle slightly.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk olive oil and caster sugar for about a minute. Add aquafaba and whisk again. Add vegan yogurt and mix well. Stir in the vegan buttermilk mixture and whisk until combined. Finally, add the cooled cocoa mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, sift together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl. Use a spatula to fold gently until you get a smooth, homogenous batter without overmixing.
- Divide and Bake: Evenly divide the batter among the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a skewer; it should come out clean. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 15-20 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to assemble; chilling facilitates decorating.
- Make Frosting: While cakes cool, prepare the vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream as per recipe notes and transfer to a large piping bag.
- Layer Cakes: For a 6-tier cake, use a serrated knife to slice each cake horizontally into two layers. Alternatively, keep as 3 thick layers.
- Assemble Cake: Pipe a dollop of buttercream on your turntable to secure the base layer. Add the first cake layer, then pipe buttercream evenly on top. Repeat layering with all cake layers. Use reserved buttercream to pipe sides and top.
- Smooth Frosting: Use a cake scraper to smooth out sides and top surface for a polished finish.
- Prepare Chocolate Garnish: Melt vegan dark chocolate and pour into a cling film-lined container. Freeze for about 15 minutes until solid. Wearing gloves, grate the chocolate. If softening occurs, re-freeze to firm up.
- Decorate Cake: Press grated chocolate onto the cake sides and top evenly.
- Storage Instructions: Serve the cake at room temperature. For best results, prepare a few hours before serving. Cake can be kept at room temperature up to 1 day; after which refrigerate in airtight container. Bring back to room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- The aquafaba in this recipe acts as an egg replacer and helps provide structure and moisture.
- For the vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, refer to the detailed recipe notes for preparation; it mimics traditional buttercream with a lighter, dairy-free twist.
- The coffee granules enhance the chocolate flavor but can be omitted for a milder taste.
- Chilling the cake layers before frosting makes them easier to handle and decorate.
- The grated chocolate garnish adds texture and visual appeal but is optional.
- Using a neutral oil instead of olive oil is recommended if you prefer less olive flavor.
