Name: Vegan Chocolate Cake with Avocado Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients: 4 ½ oz (130g) light brown sugar; 3 ½ oz (100g) all-purpose flour ((= plain flour)); 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tsp baking soda ((= bicarbonate of soda)); ⅔ cup (160ml) non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk); 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted); 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; a little vegetable shortening and flour to grease cake tins; Flesh of two medium ripe avocados; 5 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup, more if needed); 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted); 1 tbsp vanilla extract; 5-6 tbsp seedless raspberry jam (softened (optional)); 3 ½ oz (100g) fresh raspberries; chocolate curls to decorate (optional); powdered sugar to dust ((= icing sugar), optional)

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Super-fudgy Vegan Chocolate Cake with Avocado Frosting

Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

This vegan chocolate cake is my go-to recipe whenever I crave cake in a hurry! It is so easy to make and tastes decadent and delicious as an afternoon treat or a full-blown birthday cake.

The cake uses easy to find ingredients that you will already have in your pantry – nothing unusual or expensive.

You simply need flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, your plant milk of choice, apple cider vinegar and oil. I usually make this cake with (melted) coconut oil, but any flavourless oil can also be used.

This cake is an one-bowl wonder that my kids can make on their own. The recipe below makes 2 small layers (15cm/6in) so if you wish to make a larger cake you will need to double it. The raspberry jam is entirely optional but if you do use it make sure you chill the cake before slicing.

Avocado Frosting

I was reading this article on Delicious magazine the other day – a spirited anti-avocado rant by Viv Groskop. Not sure where you stand on avocados – I love them and we always have a few in our fruit bowl in various stages of ripeness.

I even tried to grow an avocado tree in my youth but, although it eventually became enormous, it had had almost zero chance of fruiting in the UK. But whatever your views on avocados, I have to say even I was a bit dubious about avocado cake frosting.

Well the proof is in the pudding as the saying goes and any doubts I may have had were completely dispelled when I actually tasted vegan chocolate frosting made with avocado.

It looks amazingly glossy and has the satisfying rich mouthfeel of chocolate but is definitely a lot healthier than your average cake frosting. What’s more, my kids also adored it and neither are avocado fans (yet!). So there you go, kid-approved, delicious and super easy. Seriously, what’s not to love?

Vegan Chocolate Cake Step by Step

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease 2x15cm (6in) cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess.

Step 2. Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Use a balloon whisk to stir together.

Step 3. Mix the non-dairy milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla together in a measuring jug and add to the bowl. Use a whisk to mix everything together until you have a smooth batter.

Step 4. Divide between the prepared tins and tap against the countertop so that the batter settles. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Step 5. Put the avocados, agave nectar, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or a high speed blender. Blitz until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. Taste and adjust for sweetness to taste.

Step 6. Add frosting to the bottom cake layer and then spread with raspberry jam, if using. Top with the second layer and then add frosting to cover the entire cake. Chill for 30 minutes.

Step 7. Pipe any extra frosting to decorate the cake, top with fresh raspberries and dust with a little icing sugar, if using. Use a potato peeler against a (dairy free) dark chocolate bar to create chocolate curls and sprinkle over the cake.