Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
This is the one. The cake we bring out when we really want to impress someone, or honestly, when we just fancy treating ourselves on a Tuesday. It's deeply chocolatey, properly fudgy, and the kind of thing that makes people go quiet when they take the first bite. We've made this so many times now and it never gets old. If you've ever thought vegan baking can't compete with the real thing, this cake will change your mind tonight.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- 2x20cm cake tins greased & lined with baking paper
- Food processor
- Electric beater (optional alternative to food processor)
- Cooling rack
- Chill cakes in fridge for at least 30 minutes after baking
- Chill finished cake in fridge for 1 hour to firm up
Ingredients
- 120g plain flour
- 1 ½ tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250ml maple syrup
- 350ml plant-based milk
- 150g cocoa powder
- plant-based butter for greasing
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g cocoa powder
- 200g icing sugar
- 60g plant-based butter
- 65ml plant-based milk
Method
Bake the cakes
- Lay the cake tins on the parchment paper and draw circles around the bases, then cut out the circles. Grease the inside of the tins with dairy-free butter and lay the paper circles in the bottom. Grease with more dairy-free butter.
- First make the cake. Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup and plant-based milk in the food processor and whiz to a batter (or put in a bowl and whisk with the electric beater for 1-2 minutes).
- Pour half the cake batter into each tin, making sure it is divided equally. Put the tins in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes. Don’t worry if the tops of the cakes crack a little while baking, this will all be covered in icing later. Wash the food processor.
- Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool to room temperature in the tins. The sponges will be quite fragile, so carefully turn them out of the tins on to the cooling rack and put the rack in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (this will make the icing process easier).
To make the icing
- To make the icing, put the cocoa powder, icing sugar, dairy-free butter, vanilla extract and plant-based milk into the food processor and whiz to a really thick, smooth icing (or put them in a bowl and whisk with the electric beater).
Ice the cake
- Take one layer of the cake and put it on a large plate.
- Using a spatula or long knife, cover the top with a third of the chocolate icing. Lay the second cake on top.
- Cover the whole cake with the rest of the icing.
- Put the cake in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
- Remove from the fridge, cut it into slices and serve.
Tips & Variations
- Get the timing right: We always check the cakes at the 35 minute mark. Every oven is different and you want a skewer to come out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Don't overbake it or you'll lose that gorgeous fudgy texture.
- Make the frosting thicker: If your chocolate frosting feels a bit loose, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes before spreading. It firms up beautifully and is so much easier to work with.
- Dairy-free butter matters: Use a good block-style dairy-free butter rather than a spreadable one for both the cake and the frosting. It makes a real difference to the richness and structure.
Why This Works
The trick here is using a good quality cocoa powder and not skimping on the maple syrup. It gives the sponge this rich, slightly caramel depth that you just don't get from sugar alone. We also find that whizzing everything together in the food processor gives you a really smooth, even batter, which means the crumb comes out beautifully dense and fudgy every single time.