Description
This Vegan Devil’s Food Cake is a rich, moist, and decadent chocolate cake made entirely without animal products. Featuring Dutch processed cacao, muscovado sugar, and a smooth vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s perfect for special occasions or celebrations. The recipe utilizes vegan buttermilk and aquafaba for structure and moistness, delivering a deep chocolate flavor with a luscious, fluffy texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Batter
- ¾ cup cacao powder (Dutch processed)
- ½ cup muscovado sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup boiled water
- 1 cup soya milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar (superfine)
- ¾ cup olive oil (or neutral tasting oil)
- 4 tablespoons aquafaba
- 4 tablespoons vegan yoghurt (Greek style recommended)
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Frosting and Decoration
- 1.5× batches vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream (see recipe notes)
- 7 oz vegan dark chocolate (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat 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. Alternatively, use four 6″ cake pans.
- Make Cocoa Mixture: In a medium bowl, add cacao powder, muscovado sugar, instant coffee granules, and vanilla extract. Pour in ½ cup boiled water and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare Vegan Buttermilk: Combine the soya milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and caster sugar for about a minute. Add aquafaba and whisk again. Stir in vegan yoghurt, then add the vegan buttermilk and mix well. Finally, whisk in the cooled cocoa mixture until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Form Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold together until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Fill Pans and Bake: Evenly divide the batter among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a skewer which should come out clean. Cool cakes in tins for 15-20 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container if not decorating immediately.
- Prepare Frosting: Make 1.5 times the batch of vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and transfer it to a large piping bag.
- Slice Cake Layers: For a 6-tier cake, carefully slice each cake horizontally with a serrated knife to form two layers. Alternatively, keep 3 thicker layers as desired.
- Assemble Cake: Pipe a little buttercream onto a turntable to secure the base. Place the first layer, pipe a layer of buttercream, then continue layering cakes and buttercream. Reserve about one third of the buttercream for the top and sides.
- Frost Cake: Use the remaining buttercream to cover the sides and top of the cake. Smooth with a cake scraper.
- Prepare Chocolate Garnish: Melt the vegan dark chocolate and pour into a small container lined with cling film. Freeze for about 15 minutes or until solid.
- Grate and Apply Chocolate: Wearing gloves, grate the chilled chocolate. If it softens, freeze it again until firm. Press the grated chocolate onto the sides and top of the frosted cake for decoration.
- Storage: Serve cake at room temperature for best flavor. Store at room temperature up to one day; thereafter refrigerate in an airtight container. Allow to come to room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, acts as an egg substitute providing structure and lift; use the liquid drained from the can.
- For the vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, see separate recipe for detailed instructions.
- You can substitute olive oil with any neutral-tasting oil like sunflower or vegetable oil to reduce olive flavor.
- Using chilled cakes makes layering and decorating easier.
- Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor but can be omitted or replaced with strong brewed coffee if desired.
- Refrigerated cake should be brought back to room temperature to regain optimal texture and taste.
