Chocolate Raspberry Cake

In my family, the talented pastry chef is my sister! So I can tell you, I was under a lot of pressure when I’ve been put in charge of her cake!

And it was a success! Pretty sure I impressed my family with this cake. Eh, a vegan cake that doesn’t taste vegan (we feel the sarcasm here)?

Prep : 30 min

Cooking : 35 min

Servings : 10

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 cups (450 g; 750 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ cup (300 g, 375 ml) sugar

• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt

• 2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda

• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder

• ¼ cup (20 g, 60 ml) cocoa

• 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil

• 1 ½ cup (375 ml) vegan milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)

• ¼ cup (60 ml) white vinegar
  

Icing

• 8 oz (250 g) dark chocolate, chopped

• 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) soy cream (eg : Belsoy)

• ½ cup (125 mL) icing sugar

• 1 ½ cups (375 mL) fresh raspberries

• ¼ cup (60 mL) cashew nuts, chopped (optional, for decoration)

Preparation

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

2. Oil 2 round cake pans.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.

4. Add the oil, milk and vinegar, then beat for 1 minute using a whisk, until the mixture is homogeneous, being careful not to overmix.

5. Spread the dough in the 2 molds and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Let the cake cool down for 15 minutes before unmolding. Let cool before icing.

Icing

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes or until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth.

4. Add the icing sugar and stir. Adjust the taste by adding cocoa (for a more bitter taste) or powdered sugar (for a sweeter taste).

5. In a bowl, mash 1 cup of raspberries with a fork. Add 1/3 of the chocolate mixture and mix.

Assembly

1. Place one of the cakes, curved side down, on a serving plate. Spread the choco-raspberry icing.

2. Place the second cake, curved side up.

3. Spread the rest of the icing on the cake. Decorate with remaining raspberries and cashews.
   

Recipe inspired by La cuisine de Jean-Philippe, ses 100 meilleures recettes véganes