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square chocolate cake with pink frosting and berries
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Vegan Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream

By: Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Makes: 12
Takes: 1 hour

equipment

  • 1 stand mixer for whipping the meringue for buttercream
  • 1 8 x 8 inch square cake pan

ingredients

For The Chocolate Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For The Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 125 ml aqua faba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 cup plant based butter, unsalted, block-style butter
  • 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries, powdered
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • pinch fine sea salt

instructions

Make The Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°f / 175°c. Prepare cake pan by spritzing with vegetable oil and lining with parchment paper cut to size.
  • In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • Add the coconut milk, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
  • Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only moist crumbs.
  • Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting!

Make The Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the aqua faba on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn up to high speed, whipping until medium peaks begin to form, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Add the granulated sugar, one teaspoon at a time, continuing to whip until stiff peaks form. Add the icing sugar, one teaspoon at a time, for another minute.
  • Once the meringue has reached stiff peaks (note this can take up to 15 minutes), turn the mixer down to medium speed and begin adding the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
  • Turn the mixer off and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment. Add the powdered, freeze-dried raspberries and the pure vanilla extract. Beat the buttercream on medium speed until a thick, luscious buttercream forms.

Decorate The Cake

  • Remove the completely cooled cake from the cake pan and use a small dollop of buttercream to adhere the cake to a cake board or plate.
  • Working from the center outward, frost the cake with a thin layer of buttercream, frosting towards one inch of the edge of the cake.
  • Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (such as Wilton 4B) with buttercream and pipe the entire cake with drop stars.
  • Dot the entire cake with fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, alternating with chocolate discs and artfully torn pieces of edible flowers!

notes

  • Troubleshooting SMBC - if your meringue won't hold super stiff peaks, that's okay! I've made lots of buttercreams without completely stiff peaks.
  • If your SMBC curdles, it means your butter was too cold going in. Try heating the entire mixer bowl on top of the stove for 5-10 seconds to warm it up a bit, then whipping again. 
  • If your SMBC becomes soupy, something was too warm. Refrigerate the whole bowl for 5 minutes and try again. 
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