If you've ever tried making vegan baked goods before, then you know that it's not always a simple task. However, with the right recipe, making a vegan dessert like chocolate cake is possible and simple. You can turn your chocolate pound cake recipe or other easy chocolate cake recipes and make them vegan with a few additional steps and substitutions. If you're looking to make vegan chocolate cake and don't know where to start, this article is for you. Whether you're a beginner or advanced baker, the vegan cake recipe below will lead you to baking success each time you make it. Ready to get started? Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions on making our favorite Vegan Black Forest Cake.
Vegan Black Forest Cake Recipe
There's something about layers of dark chocolate cake, whipped cream and a sweet homemade cherry pie filling that make us want to make this cake every chance we get. An elegant dessert, this Black Forest Cake Recipe is entirely vegan yet tastes so similar to the original version you'd never know.
Ingredients
Cherry Pie Filling
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/8 cup Cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 cups fresh tart Cherries, pitted
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 3 drops natural Red Food Coloring (optional)
Coconut Whipped Cream
- 15 oz can Coconut Milk, refrigerated (use high-quality full fat)
- 1/4-3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Devil's Food Cake
- 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 1/8 cups Vegan Sugar
- 8 Tbsp Vegan Margarine, softened
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (sifted)
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Gluten Free Egg Replacer
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Water
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup Almond Milk
Instructions
Cherry Pie Filling
- Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan.
- Add cherries, water and lemon juice.
- Bring all of the ingredients to a boil.
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in food coloring.
Coconut Whipped Cream
- Prepare a can of coconut cream by placing it in the back of the refrigerator overnight and chill the mixing bowl.
- When ready, flip the can over and open it from the bottom.
- Pour off the liquid at the top of your can and place the cream that remains into a chilled bowl with an electric mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until smooth.
- Add 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla. Continue to whip to incorporate air until it achieves a light and fluffy texture. You can also make your own coconut powdered sugar by grinding the coconut sugar until fine in a coffee grinder or high-powered blender.
Devil's Food Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together flour, egg replacer, baking powder, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- Add sugar and vegan margarine to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Combine almond milk, water and vanilla.
- Add half of the milk to half of the flour combination and beat until smooth. Repeat with remaining milk and flour.
- Prepare the bottom of round baking pans with nonstick spray and line with a parchment round.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
- Turn the cakes onto a wire rack and continue cooling them. Carefully remove the parchment paper.
- Place one round on a serving dish or cake pedestal and frost. Top with the second layer of cake and frost.
- Finish with cherries, and serve.
Devil's Food Cake With Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Using the basic Vegan Cake recipe above, you can change it up and create a traditional Devil’s Food Cake and frosting. And what frosting goes best with chocolate cake? Why, it's Vegan Chocolate Frosting, of course!
Chocolate Chocolate Frosting
- 3 3/4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 4-5 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 3 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 4-5 Tablespoons Dairy Free Milk like Soy Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- To make this vegan chocolate buttercream sans butter, combine the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter and half of your dairy free milk in a bowl.
- Mix using a handheld or stand mixer on low settings.
- Gradually increase the setting and add in the rest of your dairy free milk until you've reached the desired frosting consistency or until smooth, thick, and creamy.
- How to decorate a chocolate cake? Cut your cake layer and add your vegan frosting in between the layers.
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the top layer of the cake and enjoy! Sprinkle more vegan chocolate chips on top!
Vegan Cake-Making Tips
Follow the vegan cake-making tips below to ensure that your vegan chocolate cake tastes and looks delicious.
Prepare Beforehand
Whenever you make a new recipe, review the steps and prep any ingredients and tools needed to make it a success. When baking a cake, proper preparation includes checking the oven to ensure the temperature settings and rack placement are correct. Preheat the oven 15 minutes before baking, and make sure it's adequately heated before placing the batter inside. Next, you'll want to line or grease your cake pan so that it's ready to be used as soon as the batter is mixed. Allowing cake batter to sit too long while preparing a pan may result in some chemical reactions fizzling out and prevent your cake from rising. Additionally, depending on the recipe you're making, certain ingredients may need to be brought to room temperature 1-2 hours before you begin making the batter.
Check Your Leavening Agents
Leavening agents play a crucial role in the success of vegan cake mixes. Proper leavening occurs when the dough ferments and causes the cake to rise. Leavening agents such as Baking Powder and Baking Soda will help create the fluffy and light cake texture you're after. Before beginning your vegan cake recipe, check your leavening agents for freshness. If the expiration date hasn't passed and your leavening agent still looks fresh, it's good to use in your next cake recipe.
Mix Wisely
When aiming for a light and fluffy vegan cake, the way you mix it makes all the difference. Instead of adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing them, start with your dry ingredients and siftyour flour first. Sifted flour will produce a lighter and fluffier result and make your cake stand out from the rest. After the flour has been sifted, measure it by leveling your baking cups with a knife. Proper measurements will ensure that all of the ingredients in your cake recipe—wet and dry—bind together. Next, mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then add the wet ingredients to the dry in three separate stages. Finally, gently fold them together with a spatula until they're mixed. Over mixing cake batter can cause the gluten to overdevelop and create a dense and tough cake.
Don't Undercook
Because vegan goods don't bake in the same way traditional cakes do, it can be hard to tell if a recipe is over or undercooked. Vegan cakes that are undercooked will often be doughy and flat instead of light and fluffy. When your cake is nearing the total bake time, stick a toothpick into its center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, then the cake is done baking. It needs more time if the toothpick is covered in gooey cake batter.
Use Non-Dairy Milk
When making dairy-free cake recipes, many of us ditch milk altogether. Though traditional dairy-based milk can't be used in your vegan cake recipe, other types of milk can. Using plant-based milk like almond milk and coconut milk can boost the consistency of your cake batter and produce a tastier result. For milk similar in consistency to cow's milk, opt for soy milk instead of almond.
Check Your Sugars
Baking vegan desserts means that all animal products are off-limits, and while sugar is derived from a plant, some varieties come in contact with animal products during processing. When using white sugar, check to see whether the sugar has been bleached by bone char. Bone char, a part of the bones of cattle, is often used to decolor sugar to achieve its white coloring. This process means that white sugar is usually an animal-derived product and not safe for use in your vegan chocolate cake recipe.
So, is brown sugar vegan? You may think that brown sugar undergoes less processing because of its brown color. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Even Turbinado Sugar can sometimes be processed with bone char. Most brown sugar starts as regular refined white cane sugar and is then partially caramelized, and the molasses added back to give it its color and taste. A better alternative is maple syrup. In fact, all 4 grades of maple syrup are vegan as well as sugar made with sugar beets.
Don't Worry About the Flour
One of the best parts of making vegan cakes is that you can use any type of flour. Almond Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Cassava Flour, Oat Flour and Coconut Flour are all plant-based products and excellent options for vegan baking. When making vegan cake recipes, get creative and experiment with those that feature different flours. You might even find that you prefer one over the other.
Be Fearless
Though it may sound intimidating, making a vegan chocolate cake is much easier than you think. Whether you choose to follow a vegan recipe from the start or use a traditional recipe with a few substitutions, experimenting with new recipes and ingredients is a great way to improve your baking skills. So, when it comes to vegan baking, don't be afraid to try something new!
Now that you've reviewed our favorite Vegan Black Forest Cake Recipe, it's time to make it yourself. If you need a little extra help to make sure you're on the right track, use the vegan baking tips above to ensure that you never have any problems baking vegan cake ever again. From the Bob's Red Mill family to yours, happy baking!
Do you love baking vegan baked goods? If you happen to make the vegan chocolate cake recipe above, don't forget to share pictures in the comments below. We can't wait to see the many beautiful vegan desserts you create.
