Alright, before we get to this delicious vegan chocolate cake, let’s talk about October intentions!
If you’ve been connecting with me on Instagram you might’ve seen I set intentions and goals for my October. It’s a practice I’ve just begun doing and already love it so far! When we think of goal setting, it usually comes as a New Year’s Resolution, but we go through so many changes throughout every season of our lives. Why not reset each month to think about our goals and manifest the things we want to bring into our lives that season?
My October intentions were:
- 5 mins of meditation every morning before getting out of bed
- Drinking enough water every day
- Plan out my week in my Note and Shine Planner
- Make space and time for myself to get on the mat and do yoga more often
So far, I’ve been doing great with sticking to my intentions… although I could do a little better on drinking more water. Why is it so hard to drink enough water!? Water aside, I hope you guys set intentions for your October, even if it’s just one thing you want to work on for yourself.
Another goal I have before the end of the year is to do more baking, so I started with this double layer vegan chocolate cake! I usually make this cake for family and friend’s birthday. It’s such a crowd-pleaser and so moist! I can’t wait for you to try it out yourself!
Now on to the next baking adventure…
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
Frosting:
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp non-dairy milk
- vegan dark chocolate, shaved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heavily grease two 9-inch cake pans.**
- Whisk the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for a few minutes.
- Add the coconut oil, vanilla, and sugar to the milk mixture and whisk together.
- Whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter evenly in the two pans, smoothing out the tops.
- Bake in the oven for 30 mins, rotating half-way through, until a toothpick can be inserted in the centers and come out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 20 mins, and begin making the frosting.
- Place all the ingredients, except for the milk, into a stand-mixer and beat until smooth.
- Add the milk 1/2 tbsp at a time, adjusting until the frosting is spreadable, but not runny.
- Place the frosting in the fridge until the cake is ready to be frosted.
- Once the cakes have sat for 20 mins, use a butter knife to gently wedge them free of the pan.
- Place them upside down on a cooling rack for another 30 min, or until cooled.
- Place the first layer right side up and cut the top until level.**
- Now frost the first layer, adding extra frosting on top to make a moist center of your layered cake.
- Add the second layer and frost the whole cake, finishing up the sides last.
- Sprinkle shaved chocolate over top and enjoy!*
Notes
*Place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each tin if you’re worried about the cake sticking.
*If you don’t want to make a layered cake, grease a rectangular cake pan.
*A serrated knife works best.
*Test if your cut is level by placing the second layer on top and examining how sturdy it is.
*I recommend not using the shaved chocolate if someone will be blowing candles out on the cake. You’ll have a big mess of chocolate shavings everywhere!
