Vegan Lava Layer Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Vegan
Serves: One 2-layered 5.5" cake
 
Ingredients
  • CAKE
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup almond milk*
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • PUDDING
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • ½ cup almond milk*
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • FROSTING
  • 1 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee powder (optional but recommended)
  • 1 (400mL) can coconut cream, chilled in the refrigerator overnight
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and line two 5.5" round cake pans. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients for the cake (vinegar to vanilla). In a small mixing bowl, briefly mix together the dry ingredients (flour to salt). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until incorporated and smooth, but avoid over-mixing.
  3. Divide the cake batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before assembling.
  4. While cake is baking, prepare the pudding. In a small saucepan, whisk together all the pudding ingredients until combined. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, about a minute more. Transfer the pudding to a heat-safe bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour; overnight is okay.
  5. To make the frosting, melt the chocolate chips with the coffee powder in a double boiler. Meanwhile in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the coconut cream (only the hardened white stuff at the top of the can. Discard the liquid.) until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until homogeneous. If the frosting is too soft to frost the cake, allow it to chill in the fridge for an hour or two before using.
  6. To assemble, level the tops of both cake layers (i.e. cut off the dome so both sides are flat). Using a glass cup (about 2 inches in diameter) as a stencil, cut a circle out of the middle of each cake layer. Remove the small circles of cake and slice each in half so that it is only half as thick as before (i.e. as if you are making a mini layer cake!)
  7. Place one cake layer on a serving platter and frost the top and inside (where the piece of cake was removed) with a thin layer of icing. Stuff one small circle of cake into the bottom of the hole. Stack the second cake layer on top and frost in the same manner. Pour the pudding until the hole is ¾ full and seal with another small circle of cake.
  8. Frost the surface and sides of the cake with frosting and decorate as desired. Store in a covered container and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
Notes
*If the weather is very dry, you may need a bit more almond milk. Add in increments of 1 tbsp at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Cake batter should be fluid enough to pour. Allow pudding to chill before adjusting consistency; it should flow like thick lava.
Recipe by Radiant Rachels at https://radiantrachels.com/vegan-chocolate-lava-layer-cake/