The Most Delicious Chocolate Orange & Coconut Cake

If you don’t love chocolate then you might as well stop reading any further as this chocolate cake is for chocolate lovers only ;-)!

The base of the cake is almost identical to my other recipe (The Best Nut & Raisin Chocolate Cake). Though this cake doesn’t take much longer to make, it is that little more fancy. If you’re planning to wow someone with a simple birthday cake, this recipe is perfect for it, even if you are a beginner in baking. Or if you are just planning to have some friends round, it will make a lovely dessert to go with an afternoon cup of tea.

• 

I N G R E D I E N T S :

Cake base

• 200g of flour (I usually use wholemeal flour but you can use any)
• 150g of caster sugar (I usually use about 120g-130g and still find the cake sweet enough)
• 1 tbsp of milled flax seeds to 2 tbsp of water (egg replacement)
• 1 heaped tbsp of chocolate/cacao powder
• 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 250ml of any plant-based milk
• 100ml of oil (I usually use sunflower oil)
• 2-3 tbsp of shredded coconut
• orange zest
• 2 tbsp of strawberry jam

Chocolate cream

• 1 tin of coconut milk (be sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream for best results, as it will not whip up with reduced fat or carton coconutmilk)
• a handful of dark chocolate buttons
• 1 heaped tbsp of vegan butter
• orange zest

M E T H O D :

Cake base

Add all your measured ingredients into a big enough bowl and mix well! That’s how simple it is! If you do, however want to go the extra mile, feel free to add all your wet ingredients into the mixing bowl first, then through a sieve add all dry ingredients, folding coconut in, right at the end. Transfer the mixture into a none sticky cake form and bake for about 30 minutes on 180°C degrees. Depending on the type of oven, you might have to wait a little longer. The best way to check, is by piercing the middle of the cake with a skewer, aiming not to feel any sticky residue.

The following step is really important – When your base is done, allow it to fully cool before slicing it in half. If you cut it while still warm, you are risking the base to fall apart. To cut your cake horizontally, use a long, flat, serrated knife – such as bread knife.

Chocolate cream

To melt your chocolate and butter, create a double boiler by bringing a medium pot filled a little less than halfway with water to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl that’s just big enough to sit on top of the pot and add your chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bar) to the bowl. Keep the pot over low heat and stir in the chocolate and butter with a rubber spatula until silky smooth. Set aside once melted.

Before opening the can of coconut cream, try not to shake it, because you want the cream separate from the water underneath. Open the can and transfer only the thick part to another bowl. You can discard the watery part but I always like to save mine for another recipe (usually a curry). Using either a stand mixer or hand beaters, whip the cream until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture, together with orange zest and whip until it forms a mousse-like texture. Place the cream in the fridge for about 1 hour to allow it to thicken up.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment whether you liked it :-).

Thank you x L x