Chocolate, Caramel, and Strawberry Jam Cake
A two-tier cake filled with smooth chocolate ganache, gooey vegan caramel, and homemade strawberry jam.
Do you have a special occasion or do you just want to treat yourselves during your afternoon tea/coffee ritual? This vegan chocolate cake is super indulgent and will brighten up your day.
This cake may sound fancy, but I assure you it is easy to prepare. The cake is made entirely of plant-based products and is thus light in texture. The bitterness of the dark chocolate balances out the extreme sweetness of the caramel. The strawberry jam offers freshness and reminds us of spring.
The cake sponges are cacao-based. To enhance the cacao flavor, coffee is also added. You could omit it entirely. In such a case, the cake would have a less-pronounced chocolatey flavor. The sponges are soft and airy, and they melt in the mouth.
As this is primarily a cake recipe, it contains some amount of sugar. I tend to use coconut sugar in my baked goods as I believe it is a good alternative to white sugar thanks to its low glycemic index. You can substitute coconut sugar for another type of sugar, but I would advise against using liquid sweeteners.
Ingredients
Sponge
200 g almond flour
60 g coconut flour
160 g coconut sugar
200 ml soy milk
15 g cacao powder
100 ml espresso
60 g coconut oil (melted)
4 g baking powder
1 g vanilla powder
half a lemon
Strawberry jam
200 g strawberries
40 ml maple syrup
3 tbsp chia seeds
Vegan Caramel
2 tbsp water
50 g coconut sugar
100 ml coconut milk
Chocolate Ganache
150 g dark chocolate
150 ml full-fat coconut milk
5 g vanilla
Step 1: Sponge
Combine the soy milk and the juice of half a lemon. Set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
Combine all dry ingredients for the sponge in a bowl and all wet ingredients in another bowl.
Once the soy milk curdles, add it to the wet ingredients.
Add the wet mixture to the dry one and mix until homogeneity is achieved. Do not overmix.
Transfer the batter to 2 round cake tins (of approximately 16 cm in diameter). Bake at 180 degrees C for about 35-40minutes.
Once baked, set the sponges aside to cool down.
Step 2: Strawberry jam
Cut the strawberries into small pieces and add them to a pot.
Next, add the maple syrup and bring the pot to the stove at medium heat.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, mash the strawberries and then remove from heat.
Add the chia seeds to the strawberry purée and mix well. Set aside.
Step 3: Vegan Caramel: find the full instructions here
Step 4: Chocolate ganache: find the full instructions here
Step 5: Assembling the cake
Pipe the chocolate ganache onto the first sponge.
Add strawberry jam over the chocolate ganache and caramel sauce to the center of the cake.
Place the second sponge on top of the filling.
Decorate with chocolate ganache, fresh strawberries, and caramel.
