Vegan chocolate cake

September 4, 2021  •  Category: , ,

This was a cake made for a neighbor who was needing a vegan cake. I told her I would make it with tahini and she liked the idea (and loved the cake). I used tahini, grape molasses (to add sweetness) and some semi-sweet chocolate chips. I topped the cake with sliced bananas glazed with apricot jelly, but the bananas can be switched to raspberries or strawberries or blueberries, or any fruit you would like to add to this rich and moist chocolate cake. The ingredients yield a small cake 9″ wide, and about 1″ thick. It can be doubled easily, for a two-layer cake.


I made two cakes and coated them lightly with a vegan frosting. This recipe yields only one cake in a 9″ pan.

Vegan chocolate cake

Joumana Accad Mediterranean, Middle Eastern September 4, 2021 cake, Sweet Pastries, Dessert, vegan, chocolate cake, grape molasses, tahini, cake, sugarfree, bananas, apricot jelly,

6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Passive Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of 60% chocolate chips, melted in the microwave for one minute, in increments of 30 seconds
  • 2/3 cup of tahini, light-colored,, stir the jar first and pour
  • 1/2 cup of grape molasses (or date  or carob molasses) 
  • 2/3 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice 
  • 2 Tablespoons of orange rind 
  • 1 tsp Mexican vanilla or regular vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (dip into flour bin, sift later)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

TOPPING

  • 2 bananas, sliced
  • 1 lemon, juiced (about 1/3 cup more or less)
  • 1/4 cup apricot jelly or up to 1/3 cup (more or less as needed)
  • 1 Tbsp sliced pistachios (optional)

FROSTING

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 Tbsp vegan butter or clarified butter or vegan ghee
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Equipment needed:

1 cake pan 9", greased and floured and lined with parchment paper

1 mixer or food processor or bowl with electric beaters

1 strainer

1 sifter

1 brush to glaze the bananas

 

 

Instructions

  1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375F. In the bowl of a mixer or food processor or a regular bowl (if doing it manually), place the creamed chocolate chips, the grape molasses, tahini, orange juice, vanilla and orange rind, and mix well till smooth. Add the dry ingredients, previously mixed well in a bowl and sifted and combine till mixed.
  2. Pour the batter onto the cake pan and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake has risen and gone down and a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake.
  3. Make the frosting by mixing the sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla and almond milk. Use enough almond milk to get a creamy but thick cream suitable for frosting.
  4. Frost the cooled cake. Place in the fridge to stiffen the frosting and allow for an easier garnish with the bananas or any other fruit. When the cake is cool and the frosting is stiff, slice the bananas and place on the cake overlapping the slices. Immediately brush the bananas with freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent the oxidation of the bananas. Now gently melt the apricot jelly and apply on the bananas. Refrigerate to set the glaze, then cover the cake to keep it fresh. When ready to serve, place at room temperature for about 15" or so.

 

Recipe Notes

Note: Apricot jelly can be obtained by heating some apricot preserves and straining it once it gets liquid by removing the fruits. Use the jelly to glaze the bananas and keep the extra glaze in a covered container in the fridge.

Apple jelly can be substituted for apricot jelly. Grape molasses can be substituted with date molasses or carob molasses or even dark brown sugar.

Almond milk can be substituted with oatmeal milk..



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Comments

4 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Reply

    Jeanine Wixom says:

    I stumbled across your video under how to pronounce Mujaddara! I can’t wait to make it! I am a California native and was brought up on Southern food even though I was born, raised and live in California. I have a Palestinian friend and his mother used to cook for me all the time. Oh my goodness I can’t wait to start cooking Middle Eastern food on my own. Thank you for your recipes on YouTube and your website.

    On September 13, 2021 at 11:19 pm

  2. Reply

    Karen says:

    I noticed you didn’t mention when you add the orange juice in with the ingredients, but I put it in any way, along with the wet ingredients.

    Is it a very thin cake? Mine was about an inch tall before putting the icing and bananas on.

    This is my first time using tahini in a dessert and I liked it! Being Lebanese, one is reluctant to put it in anything but hommos or with dibis aanab. Changing my ways!

    On October 28, 2022 at 3:45 pm

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