With the festive season right around the corner, everyone is looking forward to making sweet treats for their loved ones and this recipe checks all the boxes. Absolutely foolproof and effortless, this recipe makes use of simple pantry ingredients and guarantees a delectable outcome- a moist and perfectly decadent chocolate cake that is also completely dairy-free!
If you prefer to let the cake remain unfrosted, add in an additional 80g of white sugar while preparing the batter. Since the cake is almost bitter on its own (in order to maintain the flavour balance when it is frosted) the extra sugar will help sweeten it sufficiently. You can also choose to skip this step if you enjoy a slightly bitter cake.
Ensure that the margarine (or butter, if you choose to use it) for the icing is taken out of the refrigerator in advance and allowed to soften. DO NOT try to soften the butter in the microwave as it will result in an uneven temperature which will spoil the texture of the frosting.
Ingredients for cake:
2 tsp instant espresso powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
100g unsweetened cocoa powder
300g all-purpose flour
400g castor sugar
500 ml boiling hot water
125 ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
Ingredients for frosting:
80g margarine (or unsalted butter) at room temperature
185g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
3-4 tbsp unflavoured soy milk (or regular milk) at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method to prepare the cake:
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Grease and line two round 7” cake tins.
Add the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and espresso powder into a large bowl and mix until all the dry ingredients are evenly combined.
Add the sugar to the same bowl and mix well.
Finally, add the boiling water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla essence. Whisk until a slightly thick, lump-free batter has formed.
Do not overmix at this stage or else your cake will become extremely dense.
Pour the batter into the lined cake tins.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden skewer that is inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack before removing them from their tins.
Method to prepare the frosting:
Add the softened margarine/butter into a large bowl and beat it with a whisk for a few minutes to incorporate some air.
Sift the icing sugar into the bowl (do not skip this step or else your icing will become lumpy)
Beat the icing sugar and softened margarine/butter together until well combined.
Finally, add the cocoa powder, vanilla essence and milk into the bowl and whisk together until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
Assembly:
Once your cakes have cooled, trim the domed tops using a serrated knife in order to create even layers.
Prepare a simple sugar syrup by dissolving 3-4 teaspoons of sugar in 3 tablespoons of water.
Using a brush, spread the syrup evenly over the cake layers. This is done to ensure that the cake stays moist for a prolonged period of time.
Spread a small dollop of icing on a cake board and place your first layer of cake on it.
Place a generous amount of the icing on top of the cake layer and spread it evenly using an off-set spatula.
Place the second layer of cake on top of the first iced layer. Ensure that this layer is placed upside down as this helps create a perfectly even top.
Spread the rest of the icing all around the cake using the off-set spatula.
You may additionally add any toppings of your choice or serve the cake as it is.
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