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Best Ever Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

by laurenburks125 January 5, 2019

Cakes are my favorite dish to make, hands down. I adore everything about them. The taste, texture, decorating…and most of all, how happy they make whoever is receiving them. Cakes are just special.

I have been a lover and maker of three-tiered confections for years, but becoming plant-based threw a wrench in things. How does a cake bind and rise without eggs? How do you make buttercream without butter?

After a lot of study and practice, I have figured out the tricks to making vegan cakes. Aquafaba, flax, coconut oil etc. Vegan AND gluten-free, however, is another story. Why gluten-free? I want to make recipes that are available to as many people as possible. A lot of people have gluten intolerance (my best friend Emma has celiac) and EVERYONE should be able to have delicious cake.

So I began my quest to make a gluten-free and vegan cake. To be honest, it felt like rocket science. There are so many elements to balance: weight of flours, ratio of liquid and fat, crumb. After a few failed batches, I decided to take my favorite vanilla cake recipe from Minimalist Baker and adapt it to chocolate.

The result? INCREDIBLE! Decadent, subtly sweet, crumby (not gummy) and sturdy enough to hold a buttercream. I have high cake standards and this one is a WINNER. I gave this one to a non-vegan, non-gf friend for her birthday and it was a hit. She said that her family couldn’t believe it.

Top fresh roses (non-toxic) and chopped pistachios for a simple and beautiful look.

Enjoy and comment if you have any questions!

Print Recipe

Best Ever Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Cake

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups boxed coconut or almond milk
  • 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup apple sauce
  • t tbsp vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup potato starch
  • 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
  • 1.5 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup cacao
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

FROSTING

  • 2 sticks Miyoko’s vegan butter 8 oz
  • 3.5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp strawberry juice (for coloring)
  • 1 tbsp almond milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

CAKE

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 6-inch cake pans with vegan butter and flour. I do this very liberally! It’s a naked cake, so you’ll want to make sure the exposed sides come out cleanly.
  • Mix coconut or almond milk and your apple cider vinegar. This little combination forms a vegan “buttermilk.” Set aside for a few minutes to activate and then add your vanilla and apple sauce.
  • Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl. Fold in your wet ingredients until well incorporated. I do this in my stand mixer.
  • Divide the batter amongst three cake pans and place in the oven. Cook until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let *completely* cool before frosting. This is very important for a layer cake. If they are even slightly warm it will slip and slide around. I pop mine in the fridge for 20 minutes 🙂

FROSTING

  • Make sure your vegan butter is at room temperature. If you need to heat, do this in very short increments (we’re talking 5 seconds). Vegan butter tends to melt very quickly and you don’t want to end up with a pile of unusable liquid!
  • Whip the butter with a hand or stand mixer. Add vanilla. Slowly fold in your powdered until your desired consistency is reached. It should be medium thickness for frosting. I also add a touch of almond milk to make it extra creamy.
  • Add strawberry juice for a beautiful pink coloring and subtle flavor. If you prefer, you can also use 1/2 drop of red food paste or coloring.

Notes

*For the vegan butter, I can only recommend Miyokos. Many other brands I’ve tried taste a bit “off.” I know it isn’t widely available quite yet, so if you cannot find it message me and I’ll give you an alternative frosting recipe.
** All ovens run at very different temperatures – mine at home can be off by nearly 30 degrees! For successful baking, I would recommend purchasing an oven thermometer. You can get them for under $10 at a grocery store or online. It will save you a lot of heartache!
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