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    You are at:Home»Dairy-Free Recipes»Dairy Free Desserts»Loveletter Cakeshop’s Vegan Double Chocolate Cake

    Loveletter Cakeshop’s Vegan Double Chocolate Cake

    32
    By Alisa Fleming on October 10, 2015 Dairy Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes

    To celebrate the addition of dairy-free and vegan wedding cakes to their amazing menu, head chef Brandon Baker of Loveletter Cakeshop in NYC offered to share their secret recipe for vegan double chocolate cake!

    Who says vegans can’t have their cake and eat it too? Chocolate cake is one of the easiest and most delicious cakes to make vegan, and if you use high quality chocolate (couverture is best), your guests won’t even tell the difference. I’ve served this double chocolate cake at weddings for vegan brides and grooms and non-vegan guests absolutely love it, too.

    Loveletter Cakeshop's Vegan Double Chocolate Cake Recipe - the secret recipe from a wedding cake pastry chef. No eggs, no dairy, no nuts, and optionally no soy

    Special Diet Notes: Vegan Double Chocolate Cake

    By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Just be sure to use a chocolate that suits your dietary needs, and those who are soy-free should take note that many vegetable oils are made with soy oil. If needed, use another neutral baking oil for this double chocolate cake.

    5.0 from 3 reviews
    Loveletter Cakeshop's Vegan Double Chocolate Cake
     
    Print
    Prep time
    20 mins
    Cook time
    35 mins
    Total time
    55 mins
     
    Brandon's recipe makes more of a thin ganache. For a thicker, fluffier ganache, see the option at the bottom of this recipe.
    Author: Chef Brandon Baker
    Recipe type: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Serves: 2-layer, 6-inch cake
    Ingredients
    Vegan Chocolate Cake
    • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cups cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1¼ cups sugar
    • 1⅛ cups warm water
    • ½ cup vegetable oil (can sub another oil)
    • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
    Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache
    • 7 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate chips
    • ½ cup plain dairy-free milk beverage
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    Instructions
    Vegan Chocolate Cake
    1. Preheat your oven at 350ºF. Grease and flour two 6-inch round cake pans.
    2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.
    3. Place the sugar in a separate bowl.
    4. Add the water, oil, and vanilla in a mixing bowl, and set the mixer on low speed. Slowly add the dry ingredients (except the sugar), and mix until fully incorporated. Add the sugar slowly and mix just until batter is smooth (do not over-mix).
    5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache
    1. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl, and set the bowl over hot water. Melt the chocolate completely.
    2. Combine the milk beverage and vanilla in a pan over medium-low heat, and cook until simmering. Remove from the stove.
    3. Pour the melted chocolate into the milk beverage mixture and stir until just combined (over-stirring may cause your ganache to separate).
    4. Let sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or the until ganache is at your desired consistency for spreading on the cake.
    Notes
    Chef's Note: You'll notice that sugar is added last in this recipe. Since the above recipe has no eggs, it will be structurally weaker than a conventional chocolate cake, and all the sugar will weigh the cake down significantly. When the sugar is added last, it goes into the oven while still grainy (not melted), and this helps the cake's structural integrity. I know it sounds strange, but we've tried making this cake both ways and this trick works every time!

    Thicker Ganache: Increase the chocolate to 8 ounces and use 1 cup coconut cream instead of the milk beverage. If you need coconut-free, simply increase the chocolate to 8 ounces and use less milk beverage.
    Nutrition Information
    Serving size: 1/10 cake (1 slice) Calories: 394 Fat: 17.9g Saturated fat: 6.2g Carbohydrates: 58.8g Sugar: 35.3g Sodium: 321mg Fiber: 3.7g Protein: 3.5g
    3.5.3229

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    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

    32 Comments

    1. Rachita on September 30, 2018 5:25 pm

      Very delicate, mine fell apart coming out of the pan 🙁 Tasted delicious though, maybe parchment paper next time, or cupcakes.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 1, 2018 7:55 am

        Thank you for sharing your feedback Rachita!

        Reply
    2. Deeksha Chaudhary on September 9, 2018 9:12 am

      It was the first time I tried making a cake, and was surprised by the result. I made cupcakes out of this again yesterday with dark chocolate filling and semi-sweet chocolate for frosting. Such an amazing recipe, using granulated sugar is so slick. No need to spend money buying expensive vegan cupcakes anymore. Thank you so much for this!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on September 9, 2018 7:58 pm

        That’s great. So glad you enjoyed it Deeksha and thank you for sharing your feedback!

        Reply
    3. Pingback: Perfect Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe

    4. Shirley on August 10, 2017 11:06 am

      Hi;
      I’m planning on making this for a special anniversary dinner. In the picture it looks like there are four layers, yet it says it’s a 2 layer 6 inch cake. Is the picture of a different cake?

      Also, I don’t have any 6 inch cake pans, just an 8 inch. Would this work? How long would I cook it?

      Thanks in advance.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on August 10, 2017 11:34 am

        Hi Shirley, I haven’t tested this cake personally, and couldn’t give you spot on answers for your question about baking time. Two 6-inch pans is roughly equivalent to 1 8-inch pan (the 8-inch pan is just a wee bit smaller by area, so the cake will be taller). I would still check the cake at 30 minutes, and see how it is. When done, a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. As for the picture, they made a double batch / four layer cake. It’s a bakery, so they tend to make things grander, but paired down the recipe for at-home baking.

        Reply
    5. BLACKCATBAKES on July 23, 2017 2:52 pm

      Wondering if you are using dutch processed or natural cocoa? Hard to tell since you include both baking soda and powder…

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on July 24, 2017 9:18 am

        Either one should work, but for the best taste, I would lean toward a mild natural cocoa. There aren’t a lot of ingredients to react with the baking soda in this recipe.

        Reply
    6. Pingback: Party Time – The Reluctant Vegan

    7. sara on September 16, 2016 11:24 pm

      my ganache did not set. I read a different recipe that mixed with 2/3C of milk and did not refrigerate. I got a soupy mix. I don’t think I over stirred it

      Reply
    8. Natalia on July 23, 2016 11:34 am

      I made this cake yesterday and the flavor is intense and chocolately just like Ive been missing! However I had trouble with the amount of water. I ended up needing whole extra cup! How thick is the batter suppose to be? Mine balled up into a dough pretty much before I added the extra water. Maybe my cocoa powder was pretty dry. Do you sue dutch or natural?

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on July 23, 2016 12:04 pm

        That’s very bizarre Natalia. This is the right amount of liquid. Do you live at higher altitude at all?

        Reply
        • Natalia on December 23, 2016 1:55 pm

          6 months later I reply to your reply =) Im actually at sea level in Houston. I think it has to do with the humidity in my flours (my AC takes out most of it). Either way it turned out amazing even having to add a lot more water. This cake is delicious.

          Reply
          • Alisa Fleming on December 23, 2016 3:36 pm

            Haha, well thanks for coming back to share your feedback Natalia! Good to know it still worked out well for you.

            Reply
      • TASHA on October 29, 2017 12:21 pm

        I’ve also had the same issue – I live in Ontario, Canada. I followed the instructions and it also resulted in a ball of dough opposed to a batter, so I added 1/2 cup of water extra.

        Reply
    9. Joy on March 2, 2016 1:53 pm

      Where are you supposed to use the ganache? On top of the entire cake, after frosting? This looks amazing, and I am looking forward to trying it!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on March 2, 2016 4:28 pm

        Hi Joy – see step #4 – it’s for icing the cake. You can use it for the filling, too (like in the picture), or do a different filling and just use it for icing. I like it for filling, too 🙂

        Reply
        • Joy on March 3, 2016 8:03 am

          Thank you so much for your quick reply! I’m going to use it for the filling, since that is what you recommend 🙂

          Reply
    10. chocolate lover on January 4, 2016 7:01 pm

      Delicious recipe! I substitue GF flour and just add an egg (since i’m only allergic to milk and gluten) and it works out perfectly! I tried peppermint extract and it is amazing! Do you have the frosting recipe?

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on January 9, 2016 4:31 pm

        I do not have their frosting recipe, but this one is amazing with it – http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/milk-chocolate-vegan-frosting

        Reply
      • Damaries Dee on November 4, 2016 9:24 pm

        Thank you for commenting about GF option. I would do the same thing you did. 🙂

        Reply
    11. cindy on November 30, 2015 6:28 am

      the cake sounds great but how do you do the 1/8 cup with the water? I am horrible in math so any help would be appreciated. is it 1 cup plus 1/8 tsp? thanks

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on November 30, 2015 7:03 am

        Hi Cindy, 1/8 cup is 2 tablespoons (16 tablespoons in a cup) – so it is 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water.

        Reply
    12. Laura @MotherWouldKnow on October 13, 2015 6:26 am

      What an amazing-looking cake. I love the secret for how to keep the cake structurally sound without eggs or egg substitutes. And the hint about using good quality chocolate is so true – no matter what diet you follow!

      Reply
    13. lindsay on October 13, 2015 5:29 am

      do you think GF multi purpose flour would work? looks so rich! YUM!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 15, 2015 7:57 am

        Straight up, it could be a hard swap since there are no eggs in this recipe. With a binder, it would work, but I’m not a fan of gums in cakes so it’s hard for me to recommend without trialing!

        Reply
    14. Kristina on October 12, 2015 8:26 pm

      VERY interesting about the sugar… it makes sense, I just don’t bake enough anymore to have that science mind turned ON all the time 😉

      Reply
    15. cd on October 11, 2015 11:00 am

      Hi,
      This looks like a great recipe! Can I substitute gluten free flour instead of the all purpose flour? Have you tried it with GF flour? Sure hope that it would work because it would be amazing!
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 12, 2015 7:18 am

        Hi cd, I would say “at your own risk”! There are no eggs in this recipe, and you would most likely need to add some type of binder to make it gluten-free. I couldn’t recommend without personally testing and modifying myself.

        Reply
    16. Mary on October 10, 2015 7:04 pm

      Can I use almond flour in this recipe? Thanks, looks relish!
      Mary

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 12, 2015 7:19 am

        Not as a 1:1 swap for the flour.

        Reply

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