I have the easiest and tastiest chocolate cake recipe for you, I promise you it won’t disappoint! Today I’ll be showing you how to make a vegan Oreo cake… It’s super simple and you can’t even tell its vegan!
Last year I decided I was going to take part in veganuary, which is where you go vegan in January. When it came to baking vegan, I didn’t know many of the alternatives or substitutes but after doing some research and experimenting, I can final bring you the recipe I have formulated.
This is simply my take on a vegan chocolate cake, but hope it becomes your new ‘must bake’ chocolate cake. It has the texture of a regular cake but without the dairy and eggs… It’s kind of a win-win if you’re vegan or know someone who is vegan.
The ‘buttercream’ icing doesn’t actually contain any butter but is a combination of vegan spread and white shortening, when combined the two makes a light buttercream. I was surprised at how it tasted, I had gone into it with ‘it’s going to taste funny’ attitude but after the vegan vanill cupcakes I made earlier in the month and this cake, I would happily eat vegan cakes/cupcakes.
Is vegan baking something you like or are interested in? Let me know and I will do more vegan baking recipes through the year!
Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
Cake:
150g Vegan spread.
140g Granulated sugar.
25g Coconut sugar or light brown sugar.
500ml Oat milk or other dairy free milk.
370g Plain flour.
2 ½ tsp Baking powder.
80g Cocoa powder.
Vegan ‘Buttercream’:
90g Vegan spread.
100g White shortening, such as Trex.
1 tsp Vanilla extract.
400g Icing sugar.
80-100g Oreo’s, in crumb form.
Methods:
Before you get into making the cake, you’ll be best to do some prep work. Start by weighing up your ingredients, lining your 6-inch cake tin/s with a circle of greaseproof/parchment paper, preheat the oven to 180˚c/350˚f and getting any equipment or tools you intend on using ready, such as a stand mixer.
Into your mixing bowl, place the vegan spread, granulated sugar and coconut/light brown sugar and beat on a medium/high speed until they are all lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.
Give the bowl a quick scrape down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.
Then you can add in some of the oat milk, a little at a time is best but due to the amount of liquids that will be added, the mixture will more than likely separate or split a little but don’t worry this is normal and will be corrected as the recipe progresses.
Now you can add the dry ingredients into the mix but first, pass then through a sieve. Sometimes dry ingredients can have lumps in and the only way to get rid of them is by passing them through a sieve and help the eventual cake batter to be as smooth as possible.
Mix the dry ingredients in over a low speed to start with, working you way up to a medium high speed. Once everything is fully incorporated, the cake batter will be smooth and glossy looking. It will be a looser consistency than a standard cake but that’s expected.
You can then go ahead and pour the cake batter into your prepared cake tin/s and bake in your preheated oven and bake. When it comes to baking it depends on whether you have used one or two tins. I only used the one and it took about 35-40 minutes in my oven but may take more or less time, it all just depends. Change the baking time depending your oven and the amount of tins you have used.
Now is a great time to get cleaned up, giving the counters a wipe down and washing up but also to make the buttercream.
To start on the buttercream, take a mixing bowl and place in the vegan spread and white shortening and beat the two together on a low speed to start, working your way up to a medium-high for around 5-7 minutes or until very well combined and lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.
Give the bowl a good scraping down, then sift in about half of the icing sugar and incorporate that on a low speed to start, working your way up to a medium-high speed until its fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining icing sugar.
You’ll want to give the bowl another good scraping down, this is just to help any bits that may not been fully worked in become incorporated. You can then go ahead and add the vanilla extract and Oreo crumbs, giving it all a good mix, until everything is fully incorporated. You’ll notice the buttercream becomes a grey and black speckled colour – this is perfect for the Oreo Buttercream.
Once your cake is baked, check that it’s fully baked by inserting a tester into the centre and if it comes out clean, you’re good to go. Allow to cool in the tin for a short while before removing it from the tin and allowing it to cool on a cooling rack until its fully cooled down.
If you’re using the cake that day, you don’t need to wrap it but if you are making this in advance, you’ll want to wrap it up in some cling film and store somewhere cool and dry.
Take your cake and level the top off, there may not be much but its better to make it as level as possible. Then slice the cake in half, feel free to do this with a cake leveller (like I have) or with a knife (which I don’t like doing but work with what you have).
Grab a cake stand and a small amount of buttercream. Spread a small amount in the centre of the cake stand and place your first layer of cake onto it, pressing down a little to secure it in place.
You can then go ahead and add a generous amount of the buttercream on top of the first layer of cake and spread it out so its pretty level, then place the second layer of cake on top, pressing down a little to secure it in place and repeat what you done just by adding a layer of buttercream on top.
With the remaining, you can add it to the sides of the cake and get it as smooth or as roughly coated as you like, it’s really up to you.
I added a swirl on top by using a small cranked/offset palette knife and creating a swirl on top by light pressing the palette knife into the buttercream and turning the cake turntable and moving the palette knife more into the centre as you turn the cake stand.
I then add a sprinkle of the remaining Oreo crumbs around the edge of the cake and that’s it really. Its really simple to make vegan cake and icing, trust me. It I can do it, anybody can.
That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter. The YouTube video will be linked down below.
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