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.
AB
Hands down one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve had in a while. So easy to make!
And it looked so pretty too, check it out! https://twitter.com/iamdatinggirl/status/1175881345656066048?s=21
Adrienne
Hi can you confirm if you use the entire can of coconut milk or just the white cream from the can please?
This chocolate cake is hands down the nicest I’ve tried so thank you so much. The ganache was a little to soft for what I wanted to do and so I am wondering should I up the chocolate ratio to get a sharp edge on cake or was it so soft because I used the entire can of coconut milk including the water part? Thanks in advance.
Hannah
Hi Adrienne, yes I use the full can. If you want a firmer set ganache then yes you can either up the chocolate content or use coconut cream rather than coconut milk.
Victoria
I made this for my friend recently but used little loaf tins and they turned out so good!!! They were soft aswell so once the chocolate coating had hardened it was like a mini roll I was wondering if you add aquafaba will it be less soft? Is it okay to just add it to a mixture?
Hannah
Hi Victoria, I'm glad you enjoyed it! You could certainly swap some of the milk for aquafaba but I don't think that it would make it less soft.
Beth
This cake is delicious!! Just wondering roughly how many people it serves as Im wanting to make it for a party
hannahhossack
Hi Beth, It will serve around 12 people. I hope you enjoy it!
sophie
Hi! I'm hoping to make this cake but was wondering whether i could sub the sunflower oil for coconut oil?
Looks amazing!
Thank you for sharing the recipe
hannahhossack
Hi Sophie, I haven't tested it with coconut oil but I think it would work fine. You will need to use it melted and make sure that your milk is lukewarm so that the oil doesn't re-solidify.
sophie
OMG! I made this cake today for my sisters birthday and it was delicious, very light and not sickly at all!
Thank You!
Christian
The chocolate fudge cake recipe is great. The ganache however didn't turn out to be as good. After 2 hrs in the fridge it still was very runny, so i gave it another 2hrs of cooling. After that it still seemed quite soft but i gave it a try, big mistake. The ganache was squeezed out between the layers and my whole cake collapsed. First and last vegan ganache i tried 🙁
Gina
I just made this cake and it does not disappoint! I made a half recipe to test it out. I used cake flour instead of the all purpose. The texture was light with a great crumb. It sort of melts in your mouth into a magical fudginess. Delicious!
Probably is too light for a buttercream type of frosting, but wonderful with a ganache. My three children all loved it, so I think that is really all that needs to be said.
Sian
Could this cake be done in a bundt tin? If so would the recipe or times need adapting?
Thanks 🙂
hannahhossack
Hi Sian, I haven't tested it in a bundt tin but I think that it would be ok. It would probably take longer to bake - 40 minutes maybe? I can't be sure without testing it. I also get the feeling that this recipe might not make quite enough batter to fill a 10 cup bundt tin though I could be wrong; you might want to try this one instead: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/06/13/vegan-chocolate-sheet-cake/ (it is the same cake but in a bigger quantity). It is a very delicate cake when it is warm so once baked you will need to let it cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes to let it settle a bit before you turn it out.
Df
How many cupcakes would this make and how long in the oven would they need?
hannahhossack
I think it would make about 15/16 and they should take around 20-30 minutes
Freya
Oh yum!! My bday is coming up.. This would be a great representation of me: the chocolate lover! lol
A few concerns:
1. I only have one 15cm pan. How do i bake the cake? Can i pop it all into the one pan and then cut it into layers afterwards? If so, how long will it need to bake? (fan oven or top/bottom heat?)
2. I will have around 16 people (included my husband and I) over throughout the day. Will this be enough!? Or should I make a cake in a 20cm pan? (also only have 1 pan). What would i need to do with the recipe amounts?
3. Lastly, is the ganache enough to spread in between the layers AND around the cake?
Thanks! I realise I've asked more than I though! haha! Just want to make sure everything goes well.
hannahhossack
Hi Freya, honestly I think that the best thing for you to do would be to buy another 20cm cake tin and make a two layer cake. The recipe as written will make two 20cm layers. As it is quite a delicate cake I don't think that baking all of the batter in one tin and slicing it into layers will work very well. I don't think that there is quite enough ganache to decorate the outside of the cake as well, maybe if you spread it very thinly, but you may want to make a bit more just in case. 16 servings might be a bit of a stretch, you would have to do quite thin slices. You could always try making my chocolate sheet cake instead, it is the same cake in a larger quantity and would be easier for serving a lot of people: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/06/13/vegan-chocolate-sheet-cake/ I hope it works out for you and happy birthday!
Freya
Thank you for the advice! 🙂
I may just buy one more pan indeed.. they're not too expensive either.
One more question: if i double the recipe, would that work for a three layered 20cm cake?
Thanks again!
hannahhossack
Glad I could help! Double would make 3 quite thick layers or you could do 1 1/2 times the recipe for thinner ones. Bear in mind that the batter can't be left to sit, it has to be baked right away so you would either need to have three cake tins or make the layers in two batches.
Freya
Thanks! I think I'll make the sheet cake and cut out small round pieces to make individual mini cakes! I don't have a sheet pan, just the baking tray the oven came with, I guess that works right? (the sides stand up)
Ronak Mehta
I tried out cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.
Merry
Hi Hannah,
Thank you soooo much, just the cake I need for a party tonight, I will let you know how it goes! I love that it's vegan!
Hannah
This is hands down my favourite ever chocolate cake! Warmed up with some vanilla ice-cream is absolutely divine. Also goes really well with pistachio nuts crumbled on top!