Description
This chocolate loaf cake is SOFT, moist, and decadently rich, and you’re never going to believe it’s made entirely without eggs and dairy (so yeah, it’s vegan!). Made intensely chocolatey with black cocoa powder and topped with a silky dairy-free milk chocolate ganache, this chocolate loaf cake is a little too easy!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) cake flour
- 3/4 cup (75 g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) neutral oil
- 2/3 cup (150 g) vegan Sour Cream or dairy-free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp espresso powder, decaf if desired
- 1/2 cup (118 mL) hot water
- 1 tbsp cold vegan butter, sliced into a 9″ strip (see video)
- 1/2 batch vegan chocolate ganache
Instructions
- Be sure to read all instructions before beginning. Measure out all ingredients for the cake.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: Add the sugar, brown sugar, neutral oil, vegan sour cream, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and hot water to a large bowl. Whisk until combined. Then add in the cocoa powder, and whisk until there are no clumps of cocoa powder in the mixture. Then add in the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, and whisk to evenly distribute the leavening ingredients throughout the batter.
- Finish the batter: Add in the flour and dairy-free milk, and whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the chocolate cake batter.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Place the 9″ strip of cold butter right in the middle of the pan on top (see video here), and place into the oven to bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Cool: Remove the cake from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, which will take several hours. Do not frost until the cake is fully cooled.
- Make the chocolate ganache: Follow the instructions for making the vegan chocolate ganache frosting. For a thicker ganache, set in the fridge to chill for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Frost and serve! Top the cooled chocolate loaf cake with the chocolate ganache. and spread to the edges of the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Gluten free: You can use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free baking flour.
Black cocoa powder: I use King Arthur’s black cocoa powder, but there are several on the market. You won’t get that gorgeously rich and intense flavor if you use anything higher than Dutch-process cocoa powder, but black cocoa powder is preferred!