My oldest son, Cameron, always requests a vegan cake for his birthday. My husband is allergic to eggs and dairy, you see, and Cam wants his daddy to enjoy a slice of celebration too. He’s such a good boy.
I have to be honest though… Cam choosing to have a vegan birthday cake is not really a much of a sacrifice. Vegan baking is actually quite delicious. In fact, I might even declare this vegan chocolate cake to be my favorite chocolate cake in all the land!
If Cameron were to donate all of his toys to charity, or let me sleep in one morning, or put on his shoes in under 10 minutes… well, that would be something. But wanting to have this vegan chocolate cake for his birthday? Meh.
I use Martha Stewart’s vegan chocolate cake recipe because it’s perfect and easy. For the frosting, I basically played around with the ingredients, and followed the rules of making delicious buttercream, until I found what I was searching for– a luscious, chocolaty, pipe-able, smooth frosting.
There are a few things to keep in mind with vegan baking:
- Choosing the right margarine is important. I like using Earth Balance most of all because it has a nicer flavor compared to other margarine on the market. It is also not made with hydrogenated oils.
- When choosing non dairy milk make sure it’s unsweetened. You’ll be able to control the flavor of the bake best that way. I usually use unsweetened soy milk because it’s consistency is closest to cow’s milk.
When making this vegan chocolate frosting, I followed the same rules for making my favorite vanilla buttercream:
- Ingredients must be at room temperature.
- Do not over mix. Start by mixing the only margarine until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the each additional ingredient separately, and mix for only 30 seconds each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before you add the next ingredient.
Happy 9th Birthday, my Cameron. My hero.
Notes
Special equipment needed: Standing or hand-held mixer, rubber spatula, and sieve.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 containers (22.5 oz or 637.5 g) Earth Balance or other Non Dairy Margarine, at room temperature
- 3 TBS Soy Milk, at room temperature
- 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup (75 g) Cocoa Powder, sifted
- 2 to 3 cups (250 g to 375 g) Powdered Sugar, sifted
Instructions
- In a bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), beat the margarine until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the non dairy milk and vanilla extract, and mix for up to 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour in the cocoa powder, and mix for up to 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Finally, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix each half cup for up to 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each full cup added.
- Once you've reached your desired consistency you're ready to frost the cake!
- If the frosting is too stiff then add a little non dairy milk, and if it is too runny then add a little more powdered sugar.
