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Vegan Mocha Cake Recipe

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4.1 from 24 reviews

This Vegan Mocha Cake is a decadent, dairy-free dessert featuring a rich mocha-flavored chocolate cake layered with a smooth and velvety vegan chocolate mousse. Perfectly balanced with coffee syrup and a luscious coconut milk-based mousse, this cake is elegant yet accessible for any occasion. The recipe involves baking the cake, preparing a coffee syrup, and blending a creamy mocha mousse with cashews, resulting in a gourmet cake that’s both vegan and deeply satisfying.

  • Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup sugar (plus 2 tablespoons more for sweeter cake)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or more to taste)
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

Coffee Syrup

  • 1/2 cup coffee (1 use 2 shots of espresso plus enough water to make 1/2 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (optional, for sweeter syrup)

Mocha Chocolate Mousse Layer

  • 1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 15 minutes in hot water)
  • 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coffee syrup (from above)

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch brownie pan, a 9-inch cake pan, or two 6-inch tall pans with parchment paper strips that hang over the sides to enable easy cake removal.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Add Wet Ingredients: Add the oil, non-dairy yogurt, vanilla extract, and non-dairy milk to the dry ingredients. Mix lightly just until combined; avoid overmixing.
  4. Incorporate Boiling Water: Slowly pour in the boiling water while stirring continuously until you achieve a smooth, slightly flowy batter. If the batter is too thick, add up to one more tablespoon of boiling water cautiously.
  5. Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top. Bake for 18 to 30 minutes depending on pan size—check doneness by inserting a toothpick; it should come out clean. Smaller pans will bake faster (about 18 minutes), larger pans closer to 28 minutes.
  6. Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and cool on the counter for 5 minutes. Then place in the refrigerator to cool completely while you prepare other components.
  7. Prepare Coffee Syrup: Combine the coffee and maple syrup in a bowl. Add sugar if a sweeter syrup is desired and mix well.
  8. Melt Chocolate: In a skillet over medium heat, combine the vegan chocolate and 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Stir as the milk heats to melting point. Turn off heat and continue stirring until smooth. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well until fully melted.
  9. Blend Mocha Mousse: In a blender, add soaked cashews, remaining coconut milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, sugar, salt, melted chocolate, and one tablespoon of coffee syrup. Blend for one minute, let sit 5-10 minutes, then blend in intervals until the mixture is very smooth. Refrigerate the mousse for 15 minutes to thicken.
  10. Adjust Flavor: Taste the mousse; adjust sweetness or flavor with extra cocoa powder, coffee syrup, vanilla, or sugar as desired, blending well after additions.
  11. Slice and Piercing Cake Layers: Remove the cooled cake from fridge and pan. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake layers in half, then poke holes evenly through layers using a toothpick to allow syrup absorption.
  12. Assemble Cake Layers: Place one cake layer in the pan sliced-side up. Drizzle generously with coffee syrup. Spread half the mocha chocolate mousse over it. Add the second cake layer on top sliced-side up, press gently to level, drizzle remaining coffee syrup, then top with the remaining mousse. Tap to remove air bubbles and even out the mousse layer.
  13. Set the Cake: Freeze the cake for up to 2 hours to set the mousse into a firmer texture. Afterwards, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The mousse will hold its texture even after thawed.
  14. Remove From Pan: When ready to serve, warm a shallow bowl with hot water and place the cake pan standing in it briefly to loosen the cake. Lift cake out using the parchment paper edges.
  15. Decorate: Smooth the mousses evenly around the cake edges or adhere shaved chocolate to the sides for a decorative finish. Let the cake sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes if totally frozen to soften mousse before slicing.
  16. Serve and Store: Slice and serve chilled. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen cake slices to thaw 10-15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Notes

  • The boiling water is key to developing a moist and tender cake crumb but be cautious not to thin the batter too much.
  • Soaking cashews ensures the mousse blends into a creamy, smooth texture.
  • The cake pans should be lined with parchment paper extending beyond edges for easy cake removal.
  • You can adjust the sweetness of both cake and mousse layers to your preference.
  • Using espresso shots in the coffee syrup intensifies mocha flavor but regular brewed coffee works well too.
  • The mousse can also be chilled to a spreadable consistency and used as frosting instead of layering and freezing.
  • For best results, allow frozen cake to soften slightly before slicing to avoid cracking or crumbling.
  • Author: Madelynn
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Vegan, Contemporary
  • Diet: Vegan

Find it online: https://allyumcooks.com/vegan-mocha-cake-recipe/