Vegan Chocolate Cake - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald (2024)

Vegan Chocolate Cake - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald (1)

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45 min

NZ Herald

This recipe came about after much time looking for baking recipes that use no eggs or dairy to make for someone with a dietary intolerance. I also wanted to avoid the need for "substitute" products. The initial idea came from an obscure recipe found on an American vegan website. This recipe is so easy, and has become such a favourite, that I now bake it for people without allergies.

- Felicity O'Driscoll from Cook the Books, *

Ingredients

2 ¼ cupsFlour
3 TbspCocoa powder
1 tspCinnamon
1 tspGinger
1 ½ tspSalt
1 ½ cupsSugar
1 ½ tspBaking soda
1 cupCanola oil
1 ¼ cupsWater
3 TbspRed wine vinegar
1 ½ tspVanilla essence/extract
1 sprinkleChocolate bits

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 23cm ring tin or 20cm round tin. This makes quite a tall cake - use a larger tin if you like.
  2. Sift the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a bowl big enough to mix the cake in. Thoroughly mix through the sugar, and form a well in the centre. Put the baking soda in the well.
  3. Combine all liquid ingredients in a jug. Pour liquids into the well, so the baking soda fizzes up and dissolves. Mix with a whisk until combined with no lumps but do not over mix.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. It pays to turn the cake once during cooking. If you are not baking the cake for someone with egg/dairy intolerance, you can stud the top with about 25g of chocolate pieces before baking.
  5. Once cooled, remove from tin and dust with icing sugar. Serve with fresh berries.

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Vegan Chocolate Cake - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald (2024)

FAQs

Why is my vegan cake not fluffy? ›

CAKE NOT RISING

This can be caused by a few things already mentioned such as using the wrong egg replacer or over mixing. I always recommend using fresh raising agents. Generally, baking soda and baking powder only stay active for 3 months after opening.

What is the difference between a vegan cake and a regular cake? ›

Vegan cakes are made without dairy products like milk, eggs, or butter. Instead, vegan bakers use plant-based substitutes such as bananas, flax seeds, or dairy-free butters. Gluten-Free cakes, on the other hand, use non-wheat flour to avoid the complex gluten protein present in regular wheat flour.

Why do vegan cakes need vinegar? ›

Vinegar works a little bit differently from flax and chia; it reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to create extra lift, resulting in the lightest, fluffiest vegan chocolate cake you'll ever have. And no, you won't taste the vinegar—it simply enhances the overall flavour of the cake without distracting from it.

What is the secret to light fluffy cakes? ›

Leavening agents, such as baking powder and baking soda, play a crucial role in making cakes rise and achieve a fluffy texture. These agents produce carbon dioxide gas when combined with liquid and heat, creating air pockets that lighten the batter.

Why don t vegan cakes rise? ›

Leavening Agents: Eggs play a crucial role in leavening non-vegan cakes, but in vegan baking, bakers must find suitable alternatives to provide the necessary rise and lightness. Baking powder, baking soda, and vinegar combinations are commonly used to replace the leavening properties of eggs.

Why are vegan cakes so dry? ›

Lack of Eggs: Eggs provide structure, moisture, and leavening in traditional cakes. Vegan cakes typically replace eggs with alternatives like flax eggs, applesauce, or mashed bananas, which may not provide the same lightness and binding properties.

Do vegan cakes taste different? ›

No they can be very nice if made correctly. The only difference between a Vagan and a normal cake is Vegans use alternatives to milk, butter and eggs, Eggs is what give normal cakes their lift (extra rise) milk and butter can easily be substituted.

Do vegan cakes have more sugar? ›

No, vegan cakes don't typically have more sugar than regular cakes. The same goes for saturated fats.

Is Pillsbury chocolate cake mix vegan? ›

CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS. MAY CONTAIN EGG, MILK AND SOYBEAN INGREDIENTS.

Which boxed cake mix is vegan? ›

Country Crock, Earth Balance, and Miyokos make great vegan options. My go-tos are flax eggs or a unsweetened applesauce and corn starch combo. This is great because it works well for everything from cookies to cakes to pancakes and muffins. I use this trick to make my vegan Triple Chocolate Cake and (my favorite!)

Does nothing bundt cakes make vegan cakes? ›

Unfortunately, we do not bake any vegan cakes.

What frosting is vegan? ›

Betty Crocker Icing

Betty Crocker frostings are made with dairy-free ingredients, such as vegetable oil and natural sweeteners. Their vegan options include: Classic Coffee. Indulgent Chocolate Fudge.

Why is my cake dense and not fluffy? ›

If a recipe includes a lot of acid such as lemon juice and buttermilk and isn't lifted with enough baking powder, the cake will taste dense. In that case, you may need the addition of baking soda which will react with the acid and create a fluffier crumb.

Why didn't my eggless cake rise? ›

There are several reasons why your eggless chocolate cake might not have risen as expected. Let's delve into some potential culprits: Leavening: Insufficient leavening agents: Did you use the correct amount of baking soda, baking powder, or other leavening agents?

Why is my eggless cake rubbery? ›

The reason why a cake gets rubbery is that the overmixing of flour activates the gluten. It makes cakes hard instead of the lovely soft spongy texture we associate with a good cake. And the over mixing is usually caused from incorrectly creaming butter and sugar.

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