Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best but any will work)
• 1 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
• 125 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 50 g light brown soft sugar
• 100 ml sunflower oil (or another flavourless oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150 g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 55 g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids) (chopped)
• 55 g vegetable shortening (I use Trex)
• 55 g solid block vegan butter (I use Naturli vegan block)
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 110 g icing (powdered) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• a drop of non-dairy milk if needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 20 cm/8 inch square cake tin.

2. 2

   Whisk together the non-dairy milk milk, vinegar, caster sugar, brown sugar, sunflower oil and vanilla extract in a jug.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

4. 4

   Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth; be careful not to over-mix or the cake can become tough.

5. 5

   Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread level. Bake for about 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Start checking for doneness after 25 minutes.

6. 6

   Leave the cake to cool in the tin for half an hour then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. 7

   To make the vegan chocolate buttercream, melt the chopped dark chocolate, either in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water), or as I do in short busts in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds. Set aside.

8. 8

   Whisk together the vegetable shortening and vegan butter with an electric mixer until smooth, then whisk in the sifted cocoa powder followed by the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract.

9. 9

   Beat the buttercream for a good few minutes until very light and fluffy then beat in the melted chocolate a little at a time.

10. 10

    Spread the buttercream over the cooled cake and decorate as you like (or leave it plain).