Delicious Rustic Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cake
This amazing rustic vegan chocolate strawberry cake is my favourite vegan birthday cake because it’s oh so delicious, creamy and chocolatey. This cake is everything a chocolate strawberry cake should be. It’s rich, decadent and irresistible.
This cake isn’t as fancy as the cakes you see on bakeoff shows…but I guarantee the taste will win your heart. The thing is, I don’t do too fancy. I like my food, and that includes desserts, to be easy to make, colourful and absolutely loaded with deliciousness. And this amazing vegan chocolate strawberry cake is that and more. The chocolate cake is so incredibly good – think cocoa, vanilla and coffee combining to make the fluffy, tasty vegan chocolate cake of your dreams.
I could go on and on about how great this cake is (because I’m pretty obsessed with it) but I know you just want to get to the recipe, so let’s dive right into the good stuff.
What’s great about this rustic vegan chocolate strawberry cake
- Just about everything
- Easy to make
- Rich and chocolatey
- Decadent and full of summer flavours
- Might just be the best vegan birthday cake ever
- Great for parties and picnics
- Vegan
- Can be gluten-free – just swap the flour with gluten-free flour
- A crowdpleaser cake recipe
Gluten-free vegan birthday cake option
To make this easy vegan chocolate cake recipe gluten-free there are several options, but the easiest is by far just swapping the flour with gluten-free all purpose flour. It saves time and creates the same light and delicious cake texture.
Can I use other berries for this vegan chocolate cake?
Yes, absolutely. I love mixing lots of different berries in this cake, with my favourite being raspberries and strawberries. You can also substitute the strawberries with blueberries or any other type of berries you prefer.
Berries and fruits that work great in this cake:
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Passion fruit
- Mixed berries
- Mango
- Kiwi
How is this delicious rustic vegan chocolate strawberry birthday cake made? It’s very easy. Just:
Note:
The easiest way to bake the chocolate cake is to pour the batter into 2 8-inch cake pans and bake them like that. If you have a steady hand and the confidence to cut your own cake, then you can bake the chocolate cake in one cake pan and cut it into two equal halves once the cake has cooled.
Making the chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray 2 8” cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and vinegar and set it aside so it can begin to curdle. Next, in another bowl, which together theory ingredients; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the granulated sugar with apple sauce, vanilla extract, mashed banana and oil (or butter) until everything is combined. As the final pre-step, whisk together the hot water with the instant espresso and set it aside.
- Now, adding a little at a time, add the non-dairy milk and vinegar to the sugar apple sauce bowl.
- Next, add the hot water and espresso mixture to the batter and combine everything well. Finally, whisk in the flour mixture a little at a time until everything is combined
- Pour the batter into the lined cake pans and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and batter free. Once the cakes have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the cake pans. Once cooled, carefully remove the chocolate cakes from the cake pans and peel the parchment paper away.
For the cream and filling
- Whisk the soy cream and cream stabiliser until it’s fluffy and creamy. Sift the powdered sugar and gently mix it into the cream along with the vanilla extract. Cut 2 cups of strawberries into quarters and leave 1 cup of strawberries whole to top the cake.
Assembling the Cake
- Place the bottom layer of the cake on a cake platter and spread half of the whipped cream on top. Place 1 1/2 cups of the strawberries on top of the cream before carefully placing the top chocolate cake on top.
- Top the chocolate cake with the rest of the cream and gently spread it towards the edges. Top the cake with the rest of the strawberries. Sprinkle chocolate flakes on top and serve. Enjoy.
Rustic vegan chocolate strawberry cake
Equipment
- 2 8-inch cake pans
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1½ cup Unsweetened plain Plant Milk I prefer almond milk or soy milk
- 1 tbsp Applecider Vinegar
- 3 cups (400g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (80g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Sifted
- 2¼ cup (485g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Coconut Oil or Avocado oil or melted plant butter
- ⅔ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1 Banana Mashed
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Hot Water
- 3 tbsp Instant Espresso Coffee
For the Cream and Filling
- 3 cups Strawberries Cut 2 cups into quartes, leave 1 cup for topping
- 1 cup Soy Cream
- 2 packs Cream Stabilizer
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Powdered Sugar Sifted
Topping
- 3 tbsp Non-dairy White Chocolate Flakes
Instructions
Making the chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray 2 8” cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and vinegar and set it aside so it can begin to curdle. Next, in another bowl, which together theory ingredients; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the granulated sugar with apple sauce, vanilla extract, mashed banana and oil (or butter) until everything is combined. As the final pre-step, whisk together the hot water with the instant espresso and set it aside.
- Now, adding a little at a time, add the non-dairy milk and vinegar to the sugar apple sauce bowl.
- Next, add the hot water and espresso mixture to the batter and combine everything well. Finally, whisk in the flour mixture a little at a time until everything is combined
- Pour the batter into the lined cake pans and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and batter free. Once the cakes have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the cake pans. Once cooled, carefully remove the chocolate cakes from the cake pans and peel the parchment paper away.
For the cream and filling
- Whisk the soy cream and cream stabiliser until it’s fluffy and creamy. Sift the powdered sugar and gently mix it into the cream along with the vanilla extract. Cut 2 cups of strawberries into quarters and leave 1 cup of strawberries whole to top the cake.
Assembling the Cake
- Place the bottom layer of the cake on a cake platter and spread half of the whipped cream on top. Place 1 1/2 cups of the strawberries on top of the cream before carefully placing the top chocolate cake on top.
- Top the chocolate cake with the rest of the cream and gently spread it towards the edges. Top the cake with the rest of the strawberries. Sprinkle chocolate flakes on top and serve. Enjoy.
