5 Ultimate Gluten Free AND Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes -

5 Ultimate Gluten Free AND Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes

Vegan chocolate cake isn’t usually the first thing you might think of when you know that January is traditionally a time of restraint and restriction as we all try to shed the festive pounds and keep to our New Year’s resolutions.

This year though, record numbers have turned to Veganism, using programmes like Veganuary, to try and create a healthier lifestyle in a tasty way. With the multiple health benefits of a vegan diet well known, we figured there was room to put one major treat back in: vegan chocolate cake!

Why Choose Vegan Cake?

As those of you unlucky enough to have a dairy intolerance will know – not eating eggs or dairy does NOT have to mean an end to all treats forever.

We took on the challenge of finding the very best vegan recipes out there, including one created by our founder Abi’s daughter for her best friend, which is also gluten free.

You can of course make any of these recipes gluten free too, by opting for a wheat-free flour from brands like Dove’s Farm.

If you have a go at making any, we’d love to see the results. Tag us on @odylique with pics of your creations and we’ll send a very special Veganuary treat to the best!

The Simple Cake:

This recipe from food blogger Joy the Baker is a thing of joy. Prepared in a simple Bundt tin, this is the ultimate cake choice for those who aren’t a fan of sticky, sugary confections but still want a deeply intense, chocolatey hit.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm coffee

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

small handful of chocolate chunks and/or cocoa nibs (optional)

For the full recipe click here

Follow Joy the Baker on twitter @joythebaker

The Superfood Option:

This is the vegan chocolate cake of choice for those who like a seriously gooey, glitzy affair. Packed with nutrients. The cake is moistened with avocado. So it’s tasty and healthy – result!

Ingredients:

For the Cake

a little dairy-free sunflower spread, for greasing

1 large, ripe avocado

300g light muscovado sugar

350g gluten-free plain flour

50g good quality cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

400ml unsweetened soya milk

150ml vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Frosting

85g ripe avocado, flesh mashed

85g dairy-free sunflower spread

200g dairy-free chocolate, 70% cocoa, broken into chunks

25g cocoa powder

125ml unsweetened soya milk

200g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

gluten-free and vegan sprinkles to decorate

For the full recipe click here

Follow BBC Good Food here

The One Hour Showstopper:

This absolutely gorgeous looking cake is the creation of Dana, from the minimalist baker. Dana is a whizz at creating healthy, indulgent recipes from 10 ingredients or less and she has excelled herself with this gorgeous vegan chocolate cake recipe. It can be made from scratch, in one bowl, in less than an hour. What more do you want?

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil

Unbleached Flour

Baking Soda

Baking Powder

Cocoa

Cane Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Salt

Vinegar

Coffee

Fruit Puree

For the full recipe click here

Follow The Minimalist Baker here

The Cupcake:

Sometimes you only need a small hit of chocolate, and that is where these super-cute vegan chocolate cupcakes, created by the guys at lifestyle blog A Beautiful Mess come in. Super-easy to follow, you can top with any frosting you like!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 cups water

For the full recipe click here

Follow A Beautiful Mess here

Claudia’s Perfect Chocolate Cake:

This is Abi’s daughter Claudia’s gluten free vegan chocolate birthday cake recipe. Although not vegan herself, Claudia makes every year on her birthday so her best friend – who is vegan – doesn’t feel left out! It’s adapted from a recipe in Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

Ingredients:

375ml organic soy milk

5 tsp organic apple cider vinegar (try Biona, Raw Health or Aspalls)

100g organic sugar

40g sunflower oil

5 tsp vanilla extract

70g organic gluten-free self-raising flour (try the range at Dove’s Farm)

15 organic cocoa powder (like Green & Black’s)

¼ – ½ tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease and line an 18-20cm cake tin.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar and leave for a few minutes to curdle.
Add the sugar, sunflower oil and vanilla extract then beat until foamy.
Weigh all the other ingredients into the bowl and stir in until smooth.
Place in the preheated oven. Check after 25 minutes with a fork to see if it comes out clean – leave up to 10 mins longer to bake fully. Remove from oven then turn out onto a cooling rack after 5-10 mins.
Decorate by pouring over melted dark chocolate and vegan 100’s and 1000’s or by dusting with icing sugar.

Interested In Vegan Skincare?

Every single product is cruelty-free meaning, no animals were harmed in the process of making of any of our products.

Whilst all of our products are vegetarian, a few are not classed as vegan. The only ingredients we use that are classed as non-vegan are organic honey and beeswax. However, many vegans are still happy to use them, depending on the individual. But there are still many that are 100% vegan!