Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cake

Today I’d like to talk about vegan brownies. Let’s be honest – everybody loves them. They’re moist, chocolaty and sweet. However, sometimes you might feel that one piece of a small brownie just isn’t enough to satisfy your chocolate cravings. And that’s how this new recipe was born – a full-size vegan chocolate brownie cake.

The base of this cake is a big chocolate brownie that’s frosted with a creamy and sweet vegan caramel frosting. Finally, the cake is topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries that add a wonderful freshness (and I’m drooling already).

This cake has surprised my whole family and friends and I guarantee that the same would happen with you. No one believed it’s vegan. But it is. So whenever you have to surprise your guests or family with something delicious and vegan, serve them this vegan chocolate cake.

Ok, enough talking. Let’s bake some cake!

To make a 16 cm (6.5 inch) cake, you’ll need:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or olive oil)
• 2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa content or more)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For vegan caramel frosting you’ll need:

• 10 soft dates (if they’re too hard, soak them overnight)
• 2 tbsp of water
• a pinch of salt

For toppings: fresh blueberries and strawberries for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Make the flax egg – mix the ground flax meal with 6 tbsp of water and leave it to sit while you’re mixing the cake.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour and cacao powder.
3. Place a smaller bowl over a saucepan filled with boiling water. Put 1/3 cup of chopped chocolate in and melt it. Stir in the oil and sugar, combine well.
4. Combine the wet mixture (chocolate + oil + sugar) with the dry one (flour + cacao powder), stir well. Add vanilla and rest of the chopped chocolate, mix well.
5. In the end, stir in the flax egg.
6. Spread the mixture evenly in a 16cm (6.5 inches) baking tray, put in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. When the cake is ready, allow it to cool.
7. In the meantime, prepare the caramel frosting. Place the dates, salt, and water in a food processor and combine until you get a smooth mixture (if the dates are soft enough, you can also mash them with a fork in a small bowl).
8. When the cake has cooled, frost it with the caramel mixture and generously top with fresh berries.

And now, let’s eat some cake! 🙂

P.S. If you’re looking for some veganized inspiration, I highly suggest listening to this awesome One Part Podcast featuring Laura Miller. Lot’s of insights on raw foods and mental health. A real good stuff.