Vegan Chocolate Cake

For several years now, I have been completely ripping off the internet world with my chocolate cake which is a cocoa cake. Well, I have to say that I didn’t necessarily have a big opinion on the matter because I’m part of an indescribably small percentage of people who only appreciate tasting chocolate with fleur de sel. So it’s pretty obvious that chocolate cakes, it doesn’t take me very often to want them, and even less to make them.
But I still wanted to be able to offer you a very simple chocolate cake recipe, like the ones my mom made when we celebrated our birthdays. A simple, quick-to-prepare chocolate cake that doesn’t disappoint. A cake on which we will plant candles, or offer to colleagues to brighten up the days, or as a snack for the little ones.
A cake that will make everyone agree. Well, except people who don’t really like chocolate.

vegan chocolate cake

When I was working in pastry, I had the opportunity to work with a friend I met in CAP, and she had a really awesome recipe for chocolate cake.
It was very easy to make, very fluffy. It was a perfect balance between softness, tenderness, an almost spongy texture but not stuffy, slightly crumbly but not too much, cooked through but not dry.
Every slice I tasted at the time convinced me that it was the best chocolate cake in the world.
When I left, I kept the recipe and then I happened to make it regularly at home. Then in my last work I ended up getting tired of the brownie which was in my opinion too rich and I proposed this recipe for the lunch formula. Although the decision was made not to put it back on the menu, it sold very well the short time it remained in the window, which encouraged me to think that really, everyone loves a good plump chocolate cake.

In this recipe I really didn’t make any fuss: I used margarine and soy yogurt to replace butter and eggs.
For me, these are ingredients that are extremely easy to find in supermarkets, which have the advantage of not being very expensive, and which, in fact, make it possible to offer this alternative to as many people as possible.

As always, I strongly encourage you to choose a very high-fat margarine that will give the cake richness and firmness, and of course softness. Because yes, fat is one of the guarantors of the softness of pastries, just like sugar.
I often take the one from planta fin, which is sold in strips in a sweet and semi-salted version. As a bonus, I don’t find any unpleasant flavor in it, which is rare enough to be notified. Obviously I always choose half salt except in very rare cases. Because one of the great secrets of good cakes is salt. Especially with chocolate!

As for yogurts, I’m loyal without exception to Soyade, which also offers a very reasonable price. It’s a raw material that I buy every week, yet I never eat a single yoghurt with a spoon for dessert, I often use them in a salty sauce or to replace eggs.
I have not yet tried replacing these yogurts with other alternatives, in particular coconut (they are a little fattier and less rich in protein), or with compote, but I imagine that now that the recipe is there, I will have to fix it!

Variations for a more original chocolate cake

I have obviously given you here the basic base of the chocolate cake: it is the simplest, which will really please the greatest number.
Here are some twist ideas to make this cake different with very little!

• Adding a filling in the dough: when I say that I immediately think of chocolate chips, even if I tell myself that there is already a good dose! You can also add dried fruits, oilseeds and I think that after having made them release their juice with pre-cooking, you should be able to add fruit!
• Orange zest: for lovers of the orange chocolate mixture, a little bit of zest and some candied orange peel and ZOU.
• Spices: cinnamon and chocolate are two great friends, but pepper is also an original classic. You can also think of chilli, which counters the gluttony of chocolate. Having rediscovered it last year to make the recipe for my apple crumb cake (in the issue of Winter vegetables last year), I had realized that in vegan pastry, the tonka bean brings a really delicious buttery note. We use little with each use, and it elegantly spice up pastries.
• A frosting: As for my cocoa cake recipe, a chocolate ganache will delight the most gourmet, all in a very short time.

Regarding the material, it’s a very basic recipe and without tricks, even if I always advise you to choose metal molds rather than silicone, because I like the “seized” side of the outside of the cake. .

The result of this recipe is a good chocolate rich cake, well cooked but not stuffy. It’s slightly crumbly, which is why, I beg you, don’t do like me and cut it when it’s hot.
Finally, the outside of the cake forms a very light, very pleasant crust which contrasts with the texture of the inside of the cake.

You will tell me about it, but so far, the people who have tried it have been absolutely delighted!