This delectable little chocolate cake is so delicious, you will have folks asking for more, more, more! If you do not already have 6-inch round cake pans, I highly recommend adding them to your baking equipment, as they are very handy for making a variety of petite cakes. Even though this cake has many steps (and takes extra time to prepare), the spectacular results are well worth the effort!
Ingredients
MOUSSE FROSTING
¾ cup chocolate flavored nondairy milk (I like cashew milk for this)
1 block (14 to 16 ounces) extra-firm regular tofu, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons vegan powdered sugar
1 cup (55% cacao) vegan dark chocolate chips, plus 30 to 35 more for decorating the cake
CAKE
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
⅔ cup vegan cane sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup plus 31/2 tablespoons nondairy milk
21/2 tablespoons “extra-light” olive oil (see note)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING
3 heaping tablespoons raspberry preserves, plus more as needed
Instructions
To make the frosting, heat the nondairy milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until small bubbles appear on the surface and the nondairy milk is simmering hot.
Put the tofu, olive oil, vanilla extract and powdered sugar into a blender, then add 1 cup of chocolate chips. Pour in the simmering nondairy milk and immediately process for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until completely smooth. Spoon the mixture into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled (about 3 to 4 hours) before frosting your cake.
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally coat three 6-inch round cake pans with vegan margarine. (If you are not using nonstick cake pans, line the bottom of each pan
with parchment paper and liberally coat the parchment paper with vegan margarine.)
Put the flaxseeds into a high-performance blending appliance and process into fine flour. Put the flaxseed flour, whole wheat flour, cane sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt into a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add the nondairy milk, olive oil and vanilla and stir with a large spoon to incorporate.
Divide the cake evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Put the cake pans on wire racks, and run a table knife around the perimeter of each cake to loosen the sides. Let cool for 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the wire racks. (If you are using parchment paper, gently
and very carefully remove the parchment paper.) Let cool for at least 2 hours before frosting the cakes.
To frost the cakes, line the perimeter of a pretty plate with strips of parchment paper. Put one cake layer in the center of the plate. Spoon half of the raspberry preserves over the first cake layer and spread in an even layer using an offset spatula. Spoon about one-quarter of the frosting over the raspberry preserves and gently spread it in an even layer, over the preserves, using the spatula. The frosting layer will be very thick.
Put the second cake layer on the frosting and gently press down, so the cake will adhere. Spoon the remaining half of the raspberry preserves over the second cake layer and spread in an even layer using an offset spatula. Spoon about one-quarter of the frosting over the raspberry preserves and gently spread it in a thick, even layer over the preserves, using the spatula.
Position the third cake layer on the frosting and gently press down, so the cake will adhere. Spoon the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake and gently spread it evenly over the top and sides, using an offset spatula (once again, the frosting layer will be very thick). Decorate in a pleasing manner with the reserved chocolate chips.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and make certain to serve the cake well-chilled. Covered and stored in the refrigerator, the cake will keep for 3 days. (It actually tastes better the longer it stands in the refrigerator!)
Notes
CHEF’S NOTE: If desired, you may use extra-virgin olive oil in place of the light olive oil, but the cake will be slightly denser in texture.