This vegan chocolate cake from National Trust Favourite Recipes is a real crowd-pleaser, fabulously moist and simple to make. Serve it as it is with morning coffee, or decorate with fruit, nuts or chocolates for a decadent party piece.
Vegan | Serves: 10–12 | Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Cake
370ml (12½fl oz) soya milk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
250g (9oz) self-raising flour
50g (1¾oz) cocoa powder
250g (9oz) caster sugar
225ml (8fl oz) vegetable oil
Frosting
125g (4½oz) dairy-free
baking margarine,
softened
250g (9oz) icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
30g (1oz) cocoa powder
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/170°C fan/gas 4. Grease two 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.
Put the soya milk in a measuring jug, add the vinegar, stir well and leave for around 10 minutes to thicken.
Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl, add the caster sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the thickened soya milk and oil to the dry ingredients and stir well until you have an almost smooth batter.
Divide equally between the cake tins and bake for about 20 minutes until risen and springy to the touch; a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then loosen the sides with a knife and turn out on to wire racks. Peel off the lining paper and then leave to cool completely.
To make the frosting, put the margarine into a mixing bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and light. Remove one-third of the frosting and set aside. Add the cocoa to the remaining frosting and mix thoroughly.
Place one of the cakes on a serving plate and spread with the vanilla frosting. Put the second cake on top and spread the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate frosting.
About the book
Every trip to a National Trust site wouldn't be complete without a visit to one of their cafes where hearty food feels like the very best home cooking.
National Trust Favourite Recipes is a heart-warming book that includes 80 classic recipes for home-cooked meals that will make your day, with seasonality and sustainability at its core.