- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Cooking Oil (better if you use a few teaspoons more)
- 1/2 Cup Soy Cup Milk
- 2.5 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1.5 Cups Sugar
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips/Finely Chopped Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate (Use Vegan Brand: Sunspire, Enjoy Life, Whole Food Brand etc)
- 4 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Powder (the granules are better) – use more or less as per taste .
- Coconut/Dark and White Chocolate shavings/or any fruit; for topping (Optional) – omit the white for vegan
For the Icing
- 2.5 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips/Finely Chopped Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate
- 3/4 Cup Soy Milk
- 1.5 Teaspoons Olive Oil/Any Cooking Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee Powder (Optional)
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (or Honey for non Vegan version)
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Grind the sugar into a powder.
Combine oil, milk, vanilla extract, salt and sugar. Sift the flour and the baking powder in to the oil/milk mix. Add the coffee powder. Whisk everything together making sure there are no lumps. The mixture should not be too thick, neither too watery; more like a condense milk consistency. Add little bit more soy milk if it gets too thick and tight.
When the mix has reached the desired consistency and is lump free, gently fold in the chocolate chips/pieces in the mix.
Grease & flour a baking pan and pour the mix in it. Bake till a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven only when the cake has cooled.
Cool the cake before spreading the ganache (Recipe below).
Vegan Chocolate Ganache Icing
Put the Chocolate chips/finely chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
Heat the soy milk, and the coffee powder in a pan over medium; switch off the heat as it just starts to boil. Pour all of the the hot liquid mix carefully over the chocolate and maple syrup. As the chocolate begins to melt, stir gently with a wire whisk until smooth and lump free. Whisk the olive oil in the ganache.
Let the ganache sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature; it should be thick but smooth enough to spread on the cake.
Do not refrigerate; it will get firm. (If you refrigerate the ganache, you will need to warm it back again before spreading)
Icing the Cake
Stir the ganache again before spreading on the cake. Spoon it/pour it on the cake and spread it around. Let it cool.
Sprinkle the chocolate shavings on the icing if you are using them.