I have quite a few vegan friends and am very grateful for baking books such as Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (written by the super talented vegan team of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero) which mean I can make my vegan friends some treats. This recipe is actually from a book of teatime treats from Beas of Bloomsbury, Tea With Bea. It's my favourite vegan chocolate cake to make, as it uses cocoa powder rather than vegan chocolate (which can be quite expensive) so has a yummy dark rich taste and all of the ingredients are things I usually have in the kitchen anyway. The filling that Bea uses is a vegan chocolate mousse which requires a lot of mixing, a lot of ice and a fair bit of patience so I've included a lighter alternative mousse which uses soya cream.
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| Bea of Bloomsbury's vegan chocolate cake with raspberries. If you don't want to add cherries to the mousse, it smooths out well and pipes beautifully. |
Vegan Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake
Cake ingredients:
275g plain flour
100g cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
450ml soy milk
2 tsp red wine vinegar
320g caster sugar
320ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Cherry Mousse V.1
Note: This is quite messy so try to use the largest, tallest bowl you can find.
Ingredients:
800g vegan chocolate, chopped into small squares
600ml hot water
lots of ice, about a trays worth
1 jar/tin of pitted cherries in syrup/juice, drained or a punnet of pitted fresh cherries
1. Put the chocolate in a very large, wide heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Don't let the base of the bowl touch the water. Leave the chocolate until it is melted, then stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy.
2. Pour the hot water into the bowl of chocolate and mix until nice and smooth.
3. Sit the bowl in a dish filled with ice cubes. Using an electric whisk, quickly whisk the chocolate and water mixture thoroughly and quickly until a stiff mousse forms. If the mousse is too stiff, add a tiny bit of warm water, or better yet, some rum or espresso. If the mousse is too wet, add some more melted chocolate and quickly whisk up again.
4. Gently fold in the well drained cherries. Try to use as soon as possible or store in the fridge until needed.
Chocolate Cherry Mousse V.2
Ingredients:
200g vegan chocolate, chopped into small squares
1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
1 1/2 tbsp rum
300ml soy whipping cream
1 jar/tin of pitted cherries in syrup/juice, drained or a punnet of pitted fresh cherries
1. Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and rum together carefully in a pan on a low heat. Stir until you get a smooth mixture and then remove from the heat, do not let the mix get lumpy or overcook. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool to nearly room temperature.
2. Whilst the chocolate mixture is cooling, whip the cream with a whisk until you get soft peaks.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture
4. Gently fold in the well drained cherries. Chill for 30 minutes and store in the fridge until needed.
To assemble the chocolate cherry mousse cake:
1. Cut the cooled chocolate cake horizontally into three layers
2. Put one layer on a plate. Spread one third of the mousse over the cake in generous dollops.
3. Repeat this process with a second and third layers.
4. Decorate the cake with fresh cherries or berries, or curls of vegan chocolate.
275g plain flour
100g cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
450ml soy milk
2 tsp red wine vinegar
320g caster sugar
320ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1. Grease a line the bottom of a 23cm/9 inch round cake pan and preheat the oven to 160C, gas mark 4.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the soy milk, vinegar, sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Spoon the lot into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40-55 minutes. A wooden skewer (or toothpick in my case) inserted in the middle should come out with almost no crumbs attached, and the middle of the cake, when pressed, should spring back slightly instead of sink. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes if necessary.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Slide a table knife all around the edge to loosen the cake, then remove from the pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Cherry Mousse V.1
Note: This is quite messy so try to use the largest, tallest bowl you can find.
Ingredients:
800g vegan chocolate, chopped into small squares
600ml hot water
lots of ice, about a trays worth
1 jar/tin of pitted cherries in syrup/juice, drained or a punnet of pitted fresh cherries
1. Put the chocolate in a very large, wide heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Don't let the base of the bowl touch the water. Leave the chocolate until it is melted, then stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy.
2. Pour the hot water into the bowl of chocolate and mix until nice and smooth.
3. Sit the bowl in a dish filled with ice cubes. Using an electric whisk, quickly whisk the chocolate and water mixture thoroughly and quickly until a stiff mousse forms. If the mousse is too stiff, add a tiny bit of warm water, or better yet, some rum or espresso. If the mousse is too wet, add some more melted chocolate and quickly whisk up again.
4. Gently fold in the well drained cherries. Try to use as soon as possible or store in the fridge until needed.
Chocolate Cherry Mousse V.2
Ingredients:
200g vegan chocolate, chopped into small squares
1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
1 1/2 tbsp rum
300ml soy whipping cream
1 jar/tin of pitted cherries in syrup/juice, drained or a punnet of pitted fresh cherries
1. Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and rum together carefully in a pan on a low heat. Stir until you get a smooth mixture and then remove from the heat, do not let the mix get lumpy or overcook. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool to nearly room temperature.
2. Whilst the chocolate mixture is cooling, whip the cream with a whisk until you get soft peaks.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture
4. Gently fold in the well drained cherries. Chill for 30 minutes and store in the fridge until needed.
To assemble the chocolate cherry mousse cake:
1. Cut the cooled chocolate cake horizontally into three layers
2. Put one layer on a plate. Spread one third of the mousse over the cake in generous dollops.
3. Repeat this process with a second and third layers.
4. Decorate the cake with fresh cherries or berries, or curls of vegan chocolate.
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