This Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe is an excerpt from Charlotte Roberts’s book Decadent Vegan Cakes. Charlotte is the food blogger, photographer, and recipe developer behind Charley’s Health blog. Charlotte grew up with a strong passion for both cooking and food in general and as a child always enjoyed helping her Mum bake cakes. She later developed a serious interest in plant-based food and loves exploring different alternative dishes and ingredients.
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Chocolate Fudge Cake: A Crowd-Pleasing Dessert for Every Occasion
My Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake is everything you would imagine. A layer of moist, rich chocolaty sponge, topped with a decadent chocolate buttercream that is so heavenly smooth you’ll want to eat it with everything! A good, fail-safe chocolate cake recipe is something that I believe we all need to have in our arsenal. They’re perfect for just about any occasion, and I’ve found this particular recipe to be my go-to for countless birthdays and dinner parties. You can’t go too far wrong with a generous slice of chocolate fudge cake paired with some gloriously sweet fresh berries!
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Chocolate Fudge Cake
Cake
- Apple cider vinegar
- Soy milk
- Golden superfine or granulated sugar
- Olive oil or other neutral oil
- Soy yogurt
- Cocoa powder
- Self-rising flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
Frosting
- Vegan stick butter
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Vegan dark or milk chocolate
Toppings
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Vegan dark chocolate
How To Make This Chocolate Fudge Cake
Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Vegan Buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 355 ̊F (180 ̊C) and line an 8-inch (20-cm) loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper.
To make the vegan buttermilk alternative, add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, stir, and let it thicken for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the Chocolate Batter and Bake
Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and olive oil and, using a wooden spoon, mix until pale and fluffy. Add the buttermilk and yogurt, stirring to combine.
Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and a generous pinch of salt into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold the ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix well until you’re left with a smooth, chocolaty mixture.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Prepare the Decadent Chocolate Frosting
Meanwhile, to make the frosting, start by beating the butter until pale and fluffy, using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
Gently melt the chocolate, then drizzle it into your frosting while gently whipping until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Decorate the Chocolate Fudge Cake
Once your cake has cooled, spread the creamy chocolate frosting over the cake. Arrange the strawberries and raspberries around the edge of the cake to decorate along with the pomegranate seeds and chopped chocolate pieces.
Chocolate Fudge Cake – Recipe Card
Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 15 ml 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 120 ml ½ cup soy milk
- 155 g ¾ cup golden superfine or granulated sugar
- 100 ml 4 oz olive oil or other neutral oil
- 70 g 3 oz soy yogurt
- 30 g ¼ cup high-quality cocoa powder
- 200 g 15/8 cups self-rising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp baking soda
- Generous pinch of salt
Frosting
- 150 g ¾ cup vegan stick butter, at room temperature
- 125 g 5/8 cup powdered sugar
- 20 g ¼ cup high-quality cocoa powder
- 100 g 4 oz roughly chopped vegan dark or milk chocolate
Toppings
- 100 g 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
- 100 g ¾ cup fresh raspberries, whole
- 100 g 4 oz fresh pomegranate seeds
- 50 g 2 oz roughly chopped vegan dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 ̊F (180 ̊C) and line an 8-inch (20-cm) loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper.
- To make the vegan buttermilk alternative, add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, stir, and let it thicken for 5 minutes.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and olive oil and, using a wooden spoon, mix until pale and fluffy. Add the buttermilk and yogurt, stirring to combine.
- Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and a generous pinch of salt into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold the ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix well until you're left with a smooth, chocolaty mixture.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the frosting, start by beating the butter until pale and fluffy, using either a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
- Gently melt the chocolate, then drizzle it into your frosting while gently whipping until fully incorporated.
- Once your cake has cooled, spread the creamy chocolate frosting over the cake. Arrange the strawberries and raspberries around the edge of the cake to decorate along with the pomegranate seeds and chopped chocolate pieces.
Reprinted with permission from Decadent Vegan Cakes by Charlotte Roberts. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Charlotte Roberts.
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About the Cookbook
Making delicious plant-based cakes is foolproof thanks to this outstanding collection of recipes from blogger Charlotte Roberts. Ranging from mouthwatering layer cakes perfect for a celebration to tasty loaf cakes that can be ready in no time at all, Charlotte’s wide array of bakes has you covered no matter what flavor or style of cake you’re in the mood for. Her crave-worthy recipes include:
- Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Gingerbread Latte Layer Cake
- Lemon Curd & Poppyseed Cake
- Apple Crumble Loaf Cake
- The Best Vegan Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Orange Layer Cake
- Strawberry Swirl Cake
- Browned-Butter Chai Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Loaf
- Pumpkin-Spiced Layer Cake
Bursting with recipes that will bring you back for seconds (and maybe thirds!), as well as all the tips and tricks you need to demystify vegan baking, this will be your go-to guide for vegan cakes for every occasion.
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More Vegan Recipes You Might Like
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like this vegan apple cake from the same author. Click here to get the recipe.
Connect with Charlotte on Instagram and at charleyshealth.com
