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Vegan Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake

This vegan chocolate Victoria sponge cake is without a doubt incredible. If you haven’t had one before, now is the time to get in the kitchen and bake this divine scrumptious cake. This is a twist on the classic Victoria sponge cake, not only is it vegan, but it is also chocolatey which is a double win in my baking book.

I never used to be a huge fan of chocolate cakes. I know, crazy huh? For a long time, if you asked me about my favourite cakes, it would be Victoria sponge cake, carrot cake and Christmas cake. Those are still some favourite cakes, but my taste buds and cake list have expanded tremendously over the years.

I think since being vegan for over 9 years and learning to cook and bake a tonne, my appetite for certain flavours has enhanced, and I find that I really enjoy homemade chocolate cakes. Perhaps because the recipes I follow are not crazy sweet, there is plenty of cocoa powder to enhance the chocolatey goodness, or who knows what it is, but I sure do love chocolate cake now. Plus, my children adore so many of the chocolate desserts I make, that chocolate-themed desserts are a huge hit these days. This vegan chocolate Victoria sponge cake is one of my son’s favourite cakes and was highly requested for his birthday cake.

If you love chocolate, you love Victoria sponge cake, you love moist cakes, you love cake, and you want a vegan cake, then my friend, this is the cake for you.

vegan chocolate victoria sponge cake
vegan chocolate victoria sponge cake

The Best Vegan Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake

This sums up my thoughts on this vegan chocolate Victoria sponge cake…

“If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.’
‘I see. Does it work?’
‘Every time.”

― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The way that the mole feels about cake, well, quite frankly I feel it too. I can totally relate to the mole in this book, especially when faced with a delicious cake to enjoy with my children. I love this book and have been enjoying reading it again to the children recently. Great books and great cakes are a huge hit in this family.

What makes this cake the best…

  • it is moist
  • chocolatey
  • sweet
  • delicious buttercream centre
  • fluffy
  • vegan
  • easy to make

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Why is Vegan Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake Worth Baking?

Simply put, it is divine. And my 3 year old says it’s the best cake. That is all you need to know to know it is worth baking.

In all seriousness, because the business of cake is very serious might I add, this cake is one of our favourites. I have loved the classic Victoria sponge cake for as long as I can remember. My grandma baked the most delicious Victoria sponge cake (not vegan, and this was before I was vegan too), I have always loved the simplicity of the cake combined with the creamy buttercream and sweetness of jam and/or fresh strawberries. Well, this chocolate version is on par with the classic (keep that quiet from my grandma – vegan AND chocolate, oh goodness, she would not like that one bit!!)

I like to mix it up with the jam. Seeing as though I am already doing something wildly different with adding cocoa to the cake, I decided to take it to another level with a different jam. I make my own jams and a regular one is plum jam, and that is what I use for this cake. Many jams would work, and the classic strawberry would work just fine. Raspberry or blackcurrant jam would be great too!

If you love chocolate cake and all things Victoria sponge cake, then give the cake a go, you won’t regret it. Not one little bite.

best vegan chocolate cake recipe

Vegan Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe

The base for the chocolate cake is taken from Domestic Gothess with her divine Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake and the buttercream centre is from her Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake.

A big shout out to Domestic Gothess as she provides phenomenal vegan recipes. I have used many of her recipes, and every single one has been fantastic. I recently made the Vegan Chocolate Yule Log which was super fun to make and very chocolatey, and the Easy Flatbreads are a firm family favourite.

Ingredients

Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake:

  • 360 ml (1 ½ cups) soy milk
  • 1 ½ tsp cider vinegar
  • 260 g (1 ¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 150 ml (scant ⅔ cup) sunflower oil
  • 230 g (scant 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 80 g (⅔ cup) cocoa powder
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • ¼ tsp salt

Buttercream:

  • 125 g (½ cup) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind.) softened
  • 220 g (2 cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
  • fruit jam of choice (I use homemade plum jam. Strawberry or raspberry jam works too)
  • icing sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease two 8-inch round tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
  2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large jug; the milk should curdle slightly. Whisk in the sugar and oil.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  4. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth; be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  5. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely (they are delicate so be gentle).
  6. Once the cakes have cooled, make the buttercream. Place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk by hand or with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
  7. Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate or cake stand and spread the buttercream over the bottom cake layer then spoon the jam on top.
  8. Place the second cake layer on top. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.

Notes

I omit vanilla extract. It’s an expensive ingredient and I bake regularly, and all the desserts I make taste delicious without vanilla. Yes, of course, they taste delicious with vanilla, but they still taste great without adding an unnecessary cost. I am all about affordable cooking and baking and making food for everyday eating.

vegan victoria sponge cake recipe
easy vegan chocolate cake recipe

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Tips for Success in the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

Here are a few tips to make the best vegan chocolate cake:

  1. Don’t rush baking. Put on some music, relax into it and enjoy the process of baking a cake. It is to be enjoyed, there is an art to baking, whether it’s a simple lemon drizzle cake, banana bread or a decadent chocolate cake.
  2. Follow the instructions. As you get confident with the recipe you can start to make tweaks, but at first, follow the instructions so you know how to bake that cake to success.
  3. Line the cake tins with parchment paper. For cupcakes, I don’t line the cupcake tins as I have non-stick tins and they come out easily. However, even though my cake tins are non-stick, I like to use parchment paper as I have tried without and it can still create a bit of a mess.
  4. Once the cakes have cooked, always leave them to cool in the tin first, and then remove from the tin to fully cool on a cooling rack.
  5. Get creative. Add or change toppings. Have a plain buttercream or make a chocolate buttercream adding cocoa powder to the frosting. Add chocolate shavings, drizzle syrup or make a caramel sauce to drizzle on top.
  6. If it doesn’t look pretty or Pinterest perfect, don’t worry, it really doesn’t matter. Be proud of your effort and enjoy the cake. You don’t need all the baking tools to bake a good cake, and it doesn’t need to be perfectly decorated and designed. Enjoy the process and enjoy eating it with your loved ones. Cake is to be enjoyed and eaten, not to just take pictures of and look at.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the specific vegan chocolate cake. Many vegan chocolate cakes will use flour, sugar, cocoa powder, oil or vegan butter, salt, baking powder, maybe hot water and vanilla extract.

Yes, you can freeze vegan cake. However, if it has frosting or icing on the cake then freeze before frosting or mixing the cake as the frosting or icing won’t freeze well. But, most plain cakes will freeze well.

It depends on the recipe, and I am one to follow a recipe for the core ingredients, so I wouldn’t necessarily find a non-vegan cake recipe and substitute an egg for something else without taking into account quantities of other ingredients. These foods often replace eggs in a cake: applesauce, aquafaba, vegan yoghurt, banana, silken tofu, ground flaxseed or chia seeds, and vegan buttermilk.

It depends on the recipe, and it is a fun creative way to try the recipe with both to see which you prefer. Generally, oil works great for cake as it makes it light and fluffy, whereas butter can make it denser and richer in flavour. Both will be delicious though.

The cake might be collapsing because there is too much baking powder or soda, the oven door was opened too much during the baking process, not using the right egg replacement, the incorrect oven temperature or overmixing the batter. The safest option is to follow the recipe.

The last thing you need to know about this Vegan Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake

This vegan chocolate Victoria sponge cake is absolutely delicious and I highly recommend you give it a whirl, even if you think it is madness to alter a classic Victoria sponge cake.

For all you cake lovers, chocolate lovers and sweet tooth fans, add this cake to your rota. I promise it will be worth every bite.

Did you make and love this recipe? Please share this blog post with others to spread the love for this vegan cake recipe.

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