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vegan chocolate Guinness cake
6min read
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Vegan Chocolate Guinness Cake

by Valentina Concordia

6min read

The ultimate chocolate cake - it's rich, it's decadent and it's delicious. The Guinness not only enhances the sweetness of the cake, but also deepens the chocolate flavours, making for a richer (read: chocolatey-er) cake. Whether you make this in one, two or four layers and whether you top it with buttercream or serve it plain with ice cream - we're pretty sure you'll never go back to any other chocolate cake.

Prep Time

40 mins (+chilling)

Cook Time

35 mins

Serves

10-12

Ingredients

Cake:
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
400g plain flour
140g cup cocoa 
260g caster sugar 
80g light brown sugar 
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder 
250ml Guinness
250ml milk 
160ml neutral oil
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1 tbsp cider vinegar 

Frosting:
300g plant based butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar 
½ tsp salt 

Topping:
1 tbsp cocoa powder.

Method

STEP 1

Preheat your oven to 180˚C fan/200˚C convention and line two 20cm cake tins.

STEP 2

Start by making a flax egg. Combine ground flaxseeds with 5 tbsp of warm water in a small bowl and let sit for at least 10 minutes - until thick.

STEP 3

In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa, caster sugar and light brown sugar. Stir well for 2-3 minutes, until all of the elements are fully incorporated. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir for another minute. Set aside while you mix the liquids.

STEP 4

In another large bowl, combine the Guinness, milk, oil, vanilla, cider vinegar and the flax egg and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir lightly until fully incorporated.

STEP 5

Transfer the batter into the prepared tins. Bake them for for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

STEP 6

While the cakes bakes, make the frosting. Add the plant based butter and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat the butter for 1 minute, until fluffy. Add the icing sugar in small increments, along with the salt. Mix until you’ve added all of the icing sugar, and the frosting is light and fluffy. Transfer it to the fridge.

STEP 7

Once the cakes are baked, let them cool in their tins for 10 minutes. Remove them from their tins and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, use a cake divider or a serrated knife to split the two layers in half, leaving you with four layers. You can also leave the layers as they are for a two-layer cake.

STEP 8

Place a dollop of frosting onto the base of your cake stand or dish. Place the first layer of cake on. Dollop 2 heaped spoons of frosting on and use an offset spatula or spoon to spread the frosting along the top of the cake, all the way to the edges (don’t worry if it gets on the exterior - it will all be frosted at the end). Try to spread the frosting as evenly as possible.

STEP 9

Place the second layer of sponge onto the froster first layer. Dollop 2 heaped spoons of frosting on and spread it like you did with the first layer. Repeat the process with layers 3 and 4. 

STEP 10

Now that the layers are frosted between them and on the top, it’s time to do a crumb coat (a base coat) of frosting - this is a light layer of frosting along the whole cake that helps seal the sponge in and makes it easier to decorate the cake later on. 

STEP 11

Spoon some frosting along the sides of your cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting in a thin layer across the cake -  you want as little excess frosting as possible. 

STEP 12

If you have a bench scraper, place it where it’s just touching the edge of the cake and turning the cake dish, to get a smooth and uniform finish along the cake sides. If you don’t have a bench scraper, use a knife to remove as much excess frosting as possible. 

STEP 13

 Pop the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up - this makes it easier to put the final layer of frosting on. 

STEP 14

Remove the chilled cake from the fridge. Dollop the remaining frosting along the top and sides of the cake, and use the back of a spoon to create little swooshes and divots all over the cake.

STEP 15

Place the cake back in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up slightly. Remove the cake from the fridge, dust it with cocoa powder and slice it up! 

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By Valentina Concordia
Valentina Concordia

Valentina is our Food Editor, who dreams up our tasty dishes and recipes for our social channels. She has loads of experience cooking up a storm in Italian kitchens, so it’s no surprise she can’t live without good-quality olive oil (don’t come between her and her olive oil) and fresh pasta.

Read more from Valentina


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