Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Filling and Ganache for Blog Anniversary

I started this blog in 2006 to share the recipes I was trying at home and at the time I wasn't even thinking of how long I would keep doing it. I am actually surprised that I have been doing this for 10 years already. So here's a chocolate cake recipe to celebrate the occasion.

Even though I remember about the blog anniversary, with everything else going on in life, I wasn't actually planning on making anything special. But the BM group pushed me to get off my lazy behind and make this delicious chocolate cake. This is dedicated to the BM group, all my blogging buddies, my readers and my family who inspire me to keep blogging. Thank you all for your support without which this wouldn't have been possible.

As I was looking through my cookbooks on what to make, I found this Chocolate cake recipe in Food52 Vegan cookbook. It looked so rich and decadent that I had to make it right away. It is a vegan cake and uses coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, but there's no tell-tale sign of coconut taste in the cake. Only change I made was to add a cup of wholewheat pastry flour along with the all purpose flour for some added fiber.

The highlight of this cake is the filling that is soooo chocolaty with a lovely mousse texture. It is totally guilt free and I made double the quantity just so I can eat it by the spoon full. It has pumpkin puree as the secret ingredient, but when you taste it all you really think of is chocolate.

All in all this is an absolutely delicious cake that is sure to be a big hit for any occasion and you would not even know that it is vegan.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Filling & Ganache

Ingredients:

• 3cups All purpose flour*
• ⅔cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
• 2tsp Baking Soda
• ¾tsp Salt
• 2cups Non-dairy unsweetened Milk (I used unsweetened Almond milk)
• 2tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1¾cups Sugar
• ⅔cup Coconut Oil, Melted
• 2tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Filling:
• 1cup Pumpkin Puree
• ¼cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
• ¼cup Maple Syrup
• 3tbsp Almond butter or Cashew Butter
For the Ganache:
• 6oz. Bittersweet or Dark Chocolate, chopped
• ½cup Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
• 2tbsp Maple Syrup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush 2 8" or 9" round spring-form pans** with melted coconut oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper and brush the parchment with oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the nondairy milk and vinegar vigorously until frothy. Whisk in the sugar, oil and vanilla.
4. Add about ⅓rd of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Repeat adding the remaining wet ingredients in two more additions, mixing just until incorporated after the final addition.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven but leave the cakes in the pan until completely cooled.
7. Make the Filling: Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
8. Make the Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a saucepan, bring coconut or almond milk and maple syrup to a simmer on medium-low flame. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature.
9. To Assemble the Cake: Remove the cakes from their pans. Place one, top side up, on a serving platter and gently shave off the rounded top with a sharp knife. Spread all of the filling over the top.
10. Place the other cake layer atop the filling. Pour the ganache evenly over the top and let it drizzle down the sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving. Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

* I used a combination of all purpose flour and wholewheat pastry flours -- 2cups all purpose flour and 1cup wholewheat flour.
** I made the cakes in 1 spring form pan and 2 ramekins. I wanted to try baking in ramekins and it turned out great.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: May -- Week 4'.