Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For 12 portions

• 🌾 300g flour
• 🍚 280g sugar
• 🍫 85g cocoa powder, not reconstituted
• 🧂 8g bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 🧂 2g salt
• 🥛 330ml soy drink
• 🍶 15ml cider vinegar
• 🏺 120ml sunflower oil
• ☕ 100ml coffee
• 🥄 5ml vanilla extract
• 🧈 150g plant-based spread
• 🍚 300g white confectioner’s sugar
• 🍫 100g dark chocolate, 60-69% cacao solids

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease two 20 cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
2. Stir the vinegar into 300 ml of the soy drink and leave for 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, 60 g of the cocoa, the bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl.
4. Whisk the soy drink mixture with the oil, warm coffee and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth. The batter will be thin.
5. Divide between the tins and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then turn out carefully and cool completely.
6. For the frosting, melt the chocolate, checking it's dairy-free, and leave to cool a little. Beat the plant-based block spread until soft, then beat in the icing sugar, the rest of the cocoa and the melted chocolate. Loosen with the rest of the soy drink.
7. Sandwich the cakes with a third of the frosting and spread the rest over the top and sides.