Vegan Chocolate Loaf Cake
Light and fluffy chocolate loaf topped with dairy-free ganache.
Ingredients
- 250 ml Soy milk (1 cup)
- 2 Teaspoons Apple cider vinegar (sub for white vinegar or lemon juice)
- 150 g Vegan margarine (~½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- ½ Teaspoon Instant coffee granules or espresso powder (optional, this works to intensify the chocolate flavour and you won't taste the coffee at all)
- 250 g Self-raising flour (~2 cups)
- ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
- 3 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
- 180 g Caster sugar (¾ cup)
For the ganache:
- 150 g Semi-sweet chocolate* (5oz)
- 60 ml Soy milk (¼ cup)
To top:
- Handful of Vegan chocolate chips or buttons
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you're using a fan or convection oven). Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.
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Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside. This will be your vegan buttermilk.
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Melt the margarine in a saucepan with the coffee, stirring to make sure it dissolves. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
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In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and sugar.
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Add the vegan buttermilk and melted margarine/coffee mixture to the bowl. Mix well until you have a smooth chocolate cake batter, making sure to scrape any dry bits from the bottom of the bowl.
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Transfer the batter to your lined loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean. Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes then flip it out onto a wire rack and leave it to cool completely.
For the ganache:
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While the cake is baking, prepare the ganache. Very finely chop the chocolate and add it to a heatproof bowl with the soy milk.
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Place the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, so that it sits on the rim and doesn't touch the water.
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Turn the heat to medium-low and gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
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Remove the bowl from the saucepan and leave the ganache to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. It should be thick and spreadable by then but if not, pop it in the fridge for a while until it is.
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Spread a thick layer of chocolate ganache over your cooled chocolate loaf. Top with vegan chocolate chips or buttons.
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Let the cake sit at room temperature until the ganache has fully set, then cut into slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- *Use a semi-sweet chocolate with cocoa content of around 45%. If higher, the ganache may split. I recommend Lovett's.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Ganache can be substituted for 1/2 a batch of vegan chocolate buttercream.