Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 325g gluten free plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
• 250g caster sugar
• 250g light muscovado sugar
• 2tbsp gluten free baking powder
• 2tbsp cider vinegar
• 400ml water
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 3tbsp raspberry jam

For the icing:

• 400ml can coconut cream
• 400g dairy free plain chocolate
• a little edible gold leaf

You will need:

• 2 x 20cm sponge tins, oiled and lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Sift the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl; stir in the sugars and baking powder.

2. Mix the vinegar, water and vanilla, then slowly beat into the flour to make a batter - it will be quite runny. Pour into the cake tins and bake for 35 minutes until firm and springy in the centre. Leave to cool in the tins.

3. To make the icing, pour half the coconut cream into a small pan and heat until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Then stir in the remaining coconut cream, divide the mixture between 2 bowls and chill in the fridge. Leave one bowl of mixture in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight to set very firmly. The other bowl of mixture should be removed from the fridge and left at room temperature a couple of hours before using so it can be spread over the cake.

4. To assemble and decorate the cake, peel off the baking parchment and spread the cakes thinly with a little jam and then a little of the softer coconut ganache. Layer the cakes on top of each other then spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake with a palette knife.

5. To make the truffles, use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop out spoonfuls of the chilled ganache. Drop them in some cocoa powder then roll them into balls. Arrange on top of the cake and decorate with gold leaf.