Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake + Salted Caramel Date Frosting

This is my go-to vegan chocolate cake recipe. It doesn't require eggs and rises magically with the combination of baking soda and vinegar. I’ve used spelt flour here, a more wholesome and easier to digest alternative to refined flour, but any of your favourite all-purpose flour blend should work fine. I like to use coconut sugar in most of my baked goods as it’s slightly less sweet than other sugars. It has a stronger flavour that goes really well with the depth of the chocolate here.

There's a bit of strong brewed coffee in the mix - you don't actually taste the coffee, but it’s here to bring out the chocolate flavour even more. The cake is covered with a simple, delicious date salted caramel frosting made in the blender. Add a bit of mesquite or lucuma powder to the frosting if you’d like (it adds a nice caramel flavour), otherwise simply omit it, it's just as good.

I’m using spelt flour here, but any of your favourite all-purpose flour should work fine. I haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour, so I can’t guarantee results. Let me know if you do!

Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake + Salted Caramel Date Frosting

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

• 3 cups whole spelt flour (or your favourite all-purpose flour)

• 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar (or organic cane sugar)

• 2/3 cup cacao powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk (almond, cashew, coconut, etc.)

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the salted caramel date frosting

• 250 g soft Medjool dates, pitted (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/2 cup hot water

• 1/4 cup cashew butter

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• Optional: 1 tbsp mesquite or lucuma powder

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METHOD

For the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Grease two 8-inch round springform cake pans with coconut oil.

3. In a bowl, whisk together spelt flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder, baking soda and sea salt. Add plant milk, vanilla extract, coconut oil and brewed coffee and mix well to combined. Add apple cider vinegar and stir a few times with a wooden spoon, just enough to combine. Quickly pour into the prepared pans.

4. Bake for about 22-26 minutes, until the top of the cakes are slightly crispy and/or a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the salted caramel date frosting

1. Make sure your dates are really soft. If they seem too dry, let them soak in warm water for at least 10 minutes prior to blending.

2. Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth, scraping down the edges with a spatula as needed. Be patient, this will take a few minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more warm water to help it out. You should obtain a really smooth and creamy caramel (see picture as a reference). Set aside.

To assemble

1. Place one cake on a plate or cake stand and spread a layer of the date frosting on top. Carefully place the second cake on top.

2. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve immediately.