Vegan chocolate fudge cake - an easy to make, moist, fudgy vegan chocolate cake topped with coconut milk ganache. No one will be able to guess that it's vegan!
This cake is a vegan version of my favourite chocolate cake - a rich, moist chocolate cake slathered with dark chocolate ganache. I've been sitting on the recipe for a while now but I figured that seeing as it is Veganuary I really should get round to sharing it.
This vegan chocolate fudge cake is very easy to make, you simply whisk together the wet ingredients, sift together the dry, then mix the two together and bake.
I used three 15cm/6inch tins to make a tall cake (I really like tall cakes!), but the mixture can also be baked in two 20cm/8inch tins instead if you prefer or don't have 15cm tins.
It is a moist, fudgy, very chocolatey cake which is incredibly good whether you are vegan or not. It is simply an excellent chocolate cake regardless of the use of eggs and dairy.
It would make a wonderful birthday/celebration cake if you are catering to vegans or people with egg/dairy allergies; and it can also be made soy-free. But even if you don't fit any of those categories I still encourage you to give it a try, it is one of my favourite chocolate cakes!
Vegan Chocolate Ganache:
The ganache is very easy too and uses just two ingredients - vegan dark chocolate and full fat coconut milk in place of the usual cream. You must make sure that you use full fat coconut milk (from a tin, NOT the drinking kind) - no light varieties, else the ganache may not set.
You can also use coconut cream (NOT cream of coconut - very different thing) instead if you like. For those of you who don't like coconut, I couldn't taste it at all, it was completely masked by the chocolate.
Because there is no sweetener added to the ganache, make sure that the chocolate that you use isn't too dark and bitter, otherwise the ganache will be inedible. Go for around 40% cocoa solids if you prefer a sweeter, less intense flavour; and 70% if you want a richer, less sweet ganache.
You can also use half dark and half (dairy free) milk chocolate for a less rich flavour; which I particularly recommend if you are going to be serving this cake to children.
The vegan ganache does take much longer to thicken and set than regular ganache, mine took a couple of hours in the fridge to get to the right consistency, but it will get there!
Make sure you don't leave it until the last minute to make it; but you can pop it in the freezer and stir it regularly to speed up the thickening if needed. If it gets too thick you can very gently warm it over a pan of warm water until it reaches the right consistency.
I kept the decor of this vegan chocolate fudge cake simple with just a scattering of fresh berries as I really like the contrasting flavour of the sharp berries against the rich cake, but feel free to decorate as you wish.
If you do use berries however, bear in mind that the cake wont keep as well and you may wish to remove them before storing it. Plain, the cake will keep for up to five days in an airtight container. If you use berries then store the cake in the fridge for up to three days.
More Vegan Cake Recipes:
- Vegan vanilla cake with berries and jam
- Vegan lemon drizzle cake
- Vegan Victoria sponge cake
- Vegan ginger bundt cake
- Vegan banana cake with chocolate peanut butter frosting
- Vegan orange and almond cake with chocolate buttercream
- Vegan chocolate sheet cake
- Vegan chocolate chip banana bread
- Vegan lemon almond cake with coconut whipped cream and strawberries
- Vegan lemon curd layer cake
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Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe:
Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Ganache:
- 350 g (12.5oz) vegan dark chocolate (40-70% cocoa solids. Or use half dark and half milk chocolate) chopped
- 350 ml (1 ½ cups) full fat coconut milk (from a tin, NOT the drinking kind)
Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake:
- 360 ml (1 ½ cups) almond or soy milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
- 260 g (1 ¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar
- 150 ml (scant ⅔ cup) sunflower oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 230 g (scant 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 80 g (⅔ cup) cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by making the ganache; place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the coconut milk until it is just boiling then pour it over the chocolate.
- Set aside for 2 minutes then stir until smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Cover and place in the fridge for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, while you make the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease three 15cm/6inch round tins and line the bases with baking parchment (or use two 20cm/8inch tins instead).
- Whisk together the almond/soy milk and vinegar in a large jug; the milk should curdle slightly. Whisk in the sugar, oil and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth; be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely (they are delicate so be gentle). If you are making them a day in advance, wrap in clingfilm once cool.
- To assemble the cake, place one of the layers on a serving plate/cake stand. The ganache should be thick but spreadable, if it is too runny still then return it to the fridge until it is firm, or pop it in the freezer for a bit to speed up the process. If it is too thick then gently warm it over a pan of hot water until it has softened.
- Spread a third of the ganche over the first cake layer and place another cake on top, spread over another third of the ganache and repeat. Decorate as you see fit - with fresh berries, vegan chocolates, candied nuts etc.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature unless it is very warm, in which case keep the cake in the fridge; allow to come up to room temperature to serve.
Sumayya
Just looking at the photos - wow
Natalie
WOW this cake is stunning! ♥
Albert Bevia
That is one stunning looking cake you have created...like wow! love that simple ganache you made
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction
What an absolutely stunning cake! A chocolate lover's dream!
Janine
Hi, just to let you know I nominated you for a Liebster Award! 🙂 You can find out more about it from my blog post: https://theeverydayalternative.wordpress.com/
Claudia
Looks delicious, and yet simple and low in fat etc. Very good-looking cake!
Kate - gluten free alchemist
An impressive-looking cake! I always love the look of cakes with fruit piled on top. I wonder if it is easy to make gluten free too?
hannahhossack
Hi Kate, thank you! Yes, I think you can just swap out the flour with a gluten free blend and it should work fine.
marion
Thank you, this cake is lush!, I've made it gluten free a few times, this cake is a dream!!! Sometimes add a bit of peanut butter frosting as well as this awesome ganache. A lovely rich cake.
Elizabeth
What flour did you use for gluten free? Thabkyou x
hannahhossack
Hi Elizabeth, I haven't tried making this cake gluten free myself, but I think that it would work fine with a gluten free flour blend.
Anush
Hi, thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Cld i pls check if I can split the batter into 3 8- inch pans? Thank you.
Hannah
Hi Anush, No, that would make the layers very thin. You would need to make 1 1/2 times the recipe in order to use three 8 inch pans.
Alyssa
Can you convert the ml/g to cups?! For the measuring
hannahhossack
Hi Alyssa, apologies, I thought that I had already added the conversions, thanks for pointing that out! I have added them now; I do really recommend using a digital scale and measuring in grams however, it is so much more accurate than cups.
Candice
Hi there! This cake and your site are so lovely! Regarding your vegan ganache recipe, would you be able to specify what coconut milk you used or perhaps provide a link. I've seen a few different types of canned coconut milk in my area with varying ingredients, for example [Organic Coconut Milk (organic coconut, water, organic guar gum)] vs [Organic Coconut Milk (organic coconut, purified water)]. Neither of these are lite. Thanks for any help you can provide!
hannahhossack
Hi Candice, thank you very much! Sorry for taking a while to get back to you. I used KTC rich and creamy coconut milk in my gananche (I'm in the UK). As long as you use a full fat coconut milk (the kind that will separate into a solid white part and part liquid in the fridge) then it should be fine.
KKNZ
Hi looking to make this for a friends birthday tomorrow and wanted to know if I could use coconut milk in the cake recipe instead of Almond or Soy Milk ??
hannahhossack
Hi, unfortunately I wouldn't recommend using coconut milk as it is too heavy, but cashew, oat or rice milk will all work if one of those is good for you?
Boe
I just had to tell you how chuffed I am with this cake!!!! Even before being vegan my chocolate cake was always dry and not chocolatey enough and I made one the other day that was easy but wasn't anything special... but I'm so proud of myself for making this in one attempt, thank you for sharing it!
My only problem was that the chocolate I used was too plain (shop was out of stock of Bournville...) so the ganache was a little bitter, but I just stirred in some maple syrup and it's fine 🙂 but I will use Bournville next time
This will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now and I'll be making it for my boyfriend's birthday!
Maja
This is such a show stopper! Absolutely gorgeous❤️ I just can’t stop staring at it. You are so talented!
Laura
Is it okay to add some kind of syrup to chocolate + coconut milk? Or no extra sweetness needed?
hannahhossack
Hi Laura, provided that the chocolate that you use isn't too bitter then I don't think that the ganache needs any extra sweetener, though it does depend on your tastes of course. If you want a ganache that is on the sweeter side then I recommend either using a low cocoa solids dark chocolate (around 40%) or using half dark and half dairy free milk chocolate instead (I've added some more details to the post). If you do find that the ganache is too bitter then you should be ok to stir in a dash of syrup but be careful not to use too much as it will change the consistency of the ganache and it may not set as well.
Rachel
Absolutely bangin! Made it gluten free and worked perfectly.
Zohra
Hi. My sister just made this cake and it was so amazing both flavor wise and look. I want to make this cake for an occasion but need to prepare it 3 days before. Would you recommend to bake the cake and prepare the Ganashe ahead of time. I can probably cover the cake in cling wrap and aluminum foil and then assemble everything on the day I need to serve. I just hope it doesn’t dry up. Appreciate your advise:-)
hannahhossack
Hi Zohra, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the cake! The cakes should be fine to be baked in advance and kept wrapped in clingfilm; they are very moist cakes so they shouldn't dry out. You can even freeze them if you like. The ganache will go solid after a while; it can be made in advance but you will probably have to warm it up a little over a pan of hot water in order to make it spreadable again.
Betty
I made this recipe as cupcakes and they are phenomenal.
A (non vegan) friend said they thought they were the best cakes they've ever had.
Gemma
Hi, just wondering what brand of chocolate you use? I'm in the UK and I am struggling to find a half dark half milk free chocolate bar. Thank you
hannahhossack
Hi Gemma, I'm also in the UK! I usually use all Bournville chocolate as it is sweeter than regular dark chocolate; or I use half 70% dark chocolate (any dairy free brand) and half dairy free milk chocolate which I usually get from Sainsbury's Free From section.
You can use just dark chocolate if you like rather than adding the milk chocolate, it can just be a bit rich and not very sweet.
Demi
Does the soy milk need to be unsweetended I’ve got one that says subtly sweetened is this ok?
hannahhossack
Hi Demi, Unsweetened is best but if you've only got subtly sweetened that will work just fine.