Vegan Chocolate Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream

TWO SPOONS
Jun 3, 2018
5 min read

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to share this blog post with you, for my Vegan Chocolate Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream! I still can't believe my eyes just how beautiful this chocolate cake turned out! It's one of those recipes where you just want to give yourself a mirror high five. (and I did, hehe).

This Vegan Chocolate Cake feels like a bit of a milestone for me, because for a long time I've wanted to post a decadent tiered cake recipe that was magazine worthy! For years I've gawked over my favourite food mags lusting over the beautifully styled tiered cakes with whipped cream layers in between, thinking "if only I could make something this beautiful!" Well, I FREAKIN DID IT! haha wahoo! And you know what? So can you, babe! Turns out, a chocolate tiered cake is not as difficult to bake as one might think. If you've ever baked a cake before then you can make this recipe. Just double the recipe to make two cakes and then throw one of top of the other! (In a gentle and calculated manner of course). It's as simple as that. A piece of cake, one might say.

The recipe for this Vegan Chocolate Cake is the same one I've used for my Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake, a recipe I shared last winter. Why re-invent the wheel, amiright? This vegan chocolate cake has become a bit of a staple for celebrations, and a big fan amongst friends. I recently made it for my friends daughter's birthday, she was turning seven, and it turned out a huge hit amongst the kiddies too. What I love about this cake recipe is that it's really straight forward, no-fuss, and tastes luxurious. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but it's one of the best chocolate cakes I've tasted. Hubby and I are actually quite picky about cake, because we find them more often to be overly sweet, or too light and creamy to have any substance. I often just end up with a sore stomach and a sugar hangover. So cake is often that part of the meal where I reply, "um, not for me, maybe later..." That was until I was introduced to this gorgeous vegan chocolate cake. It would be a sin to pass on a slice of this. I find that this particular Vegan Chocolate Cake is the perfect amount of sweet, and chocolatey. It's texture is moist, soft and spongey. Honestly, you just have to try it for yourself to understand what I mean.

Another reason why I wanted to bake a Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream and Berries is because my birthday is coming up, and so cake has been on my mind as of late. A chocolate cake with whipped cream and berries was my favourite growing up, and I would request it every year to my mum. She is british, a.k.a. - a master baker, and so it was always a treat to look forward to. It's the combination of decadent chocolate with light cream and sweet strawberries that's completely cosmic in this cake. I'm literally drooling as I type this! For the fruits, i've added other fresh seasonal berries in addition to strawberries; like cherries, blueberries and red berries. I'm so in love with this berry mix, especially the tart red berries because they are a beautiful offset to the sweet and chocolatey cake. It's a little more of a grown-up taste I'd say. And as for the whipped cream, I've got a fool-proof cashew coconut vegan whipped cream that will blow your socks off! I've made it with cashew and coconut, modifying it from my pink cashew cream from my Pink Raspberry Cream Tarts for the perfect blend. I just adore this vegan whipped cream, especially as all the ingredients are straight forward. So you don't have to defend aquafaba or silken tofu to the vegan skeptics you're about to serve.

And the final reason for creating this decadent chocolate cake was because last weekend I woke up to 40K followers on Instagram! That certainly called for a little something special. And what better way to celebrate than with CAKE!? Just wish I could invite you all to share this with, but if it's any frosting on the cake, the beautiful recipe is yours below.

You ready to rise to the occasion? Happy baking! ;)

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

Serves: 8-10| Prep Time: 45 mins| Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

For the Cashew-Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting:

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup (60 ml) agave syrup
1 cup (145g) raw cashews, soaked overnight
juice of 1 lime (2 tbsp or 30 ml), or lemon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 can (400 ml) chilled full-fat coconut milk

For the Cake:

(recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker)

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) unsweetened almond milk, or other plant milk of choice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups (307 g) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (120 ml) strong brewed coffee
2/3 cup (160 ml) coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 Tbsp (320 g) cake flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated brown sugar (it should be dry, not wet)
1 cup (96 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mixed seasonal berries: sliced strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and red berries
fresh mint (optional)

Directions:

Start with your Cashew Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting: In saucepan combine coconut oil and agave syrup on low heat. Transfer liquid to blender and add soaked cashews (strained), lime juice, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a glass mixing bowl and place in fridge to chill. (We will add the chilled coconut milk at the end).
For the cake: Preheat oven to 350F (176 C) and lightly spray two round cake pans with nonstick spray. (I used two 10-inch/25 cm non-stick cake tins). Dust with cocoa powder, shake out the excess, and set aside.
Mix almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let set for a few minutes to activate. Add the coconut oil, coffee, vanilla extract, and applesauce and beat until foamy.
Next, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable.
Divide batter evenly between your two cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from cake tins or frosting.
Remove frosting from fridge. Open can of chilled coconut milk and scoop out the firm layer of coconut cream that has solidified at the top of the can, avoiding the coconut water underneath. (Reserve the coconut water for juices or smoothies). With a hand-mixer on high, whip coconut milk and cashew frosting together until light and fluffy. (Try to avoid over mixing, it should only take 1-2 minutes to fluff up).
Remove cooled cake from tins. And add a generous scoop of coconut cashew cream to the top of each cake. Smooth and lather until the entire surface area of the cake tops are lathered in whipped cream. Decorate one with sliced berries and gently place the second cake tier on top (I used my biggest spatula and my hands to help life the cake tier onto the other). Decorate the top tier of cake with remaining berries, and fresh mint.