Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cake

Rich chocolate cake with layers of decadent raw brownie crumble and fluffy coconut whip cream frosting make this Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cake taste much more indulgent than it really is. Made with only real whole food ingredients and no refined sugar for a healthier cake that is sure to be a hit with the whole family. 

Today is my birthday so let's celebrate with cake...ok? In particular this Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cake. I usually don't bother with making a cake for my own birthdays, but this year I decide why not? So, I spent a couple of weeks ( yes, really a couple of weeks) thinking about exactly what kind of cake I would want. It had to be chocolate because well...I'm a chocoholic, but it had to be as healthy as possible too.

This cake is all of those things. A rich chocolate cake topped with a super easy raw brownie crumble (because who doesn't love brownies?!), and a fluffy coconut whip frosting with you guessed it more chocolate. Can you tell I like chocolate?

At this point you might be thinking how is this healthier than any other birthday cake, but I promise it is. There's no white flour or refined sugar, the cake base is made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with coconut sugar. The brownie crumble is made with dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder - only real whole food ingredients. And that creamy dreamy frosting is coconut cream (from a chilled can of coconut milk) with just a touch of maple syrup and cocoa power. See I told ya it was healthier 😉

And to make sure I didn't have a bunch of cake leftover for days I kept it small using this 6 inch cake pan set. Yep, this cake is small, but mighty in flavor and sure to be a hit with any chocolate lover. My whole family, even my picky eater who normally detests coconut whip, loved this cake.

To have a little more birthday fun I thought I'd share 10 fun facts about myself. So here goes:

1. I'm 34 years old today.
2. I'm an introvert and hate small talk.
3. My favorite piece of literature is A Raisin in the Sun.
4. One of my all time favorite shows is Frasier.
5. I also love crime documentaries.
6. I went to art school for a bit.
7. I've been married for 10 years.
8. My husband has given me the title of "door checker" which just means I double check that all the doors are locked before we go to bed.
9. I think armpits are absolutely disgusting and freak out if I see someone touch theirs.
10. I'm usually too hard on myself, but I'm learning to be less critical and love myself more.

So, there you have it. Now that you know a little more about me, tell me about yourself. Share anything interesting you'd like in the comments below.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!

5 from 1 vote

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Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cake

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Course: Dessert

Author: Melissa

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup almond milk room temperature
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Brownie Filling:

• 10 dates, seeds removed
• ¾ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• pinch of salt optional

Frosting:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk or coconut cream refrigerated over night to separate cream from water.
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil 2 or 3 six inch cake pans depending on how deep yours are. I used 3 ¾" deep pans. Set aside. 

2. Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside. 

3. In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure everything is well incorporated. 

4. Add coconut sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla to milk and stir to combine. 

5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just to combine. 

6. Divide batter between cakes pans. 

7. Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. See note below. 

8. Allow cakes to cool for about 10 minutes and remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Filling:

1. While the cakes bake prepare the brownie filling by combing the ingredients in the bowl of food processor. Pulse just until mixture is a crumble. 

Frosting:

1. To prepare frosting scoop hardened layer of coconut cream into a bowl discarding the remaining water. 

2. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer beat coconut cream until fluffy about 1 minute. 

3. Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix to thoroughly combine. 

To Assemble Cake:

1. Place first layer of cake on plate, spread a layer of frosting over cake, and top with brownie crumble. Stack the next layer of cake, spread with another layer of frosting and top with more brownie crumble. Continue this process until you have used all layers of cake. You will likely have left over crumble. You can use it as a topping for nice cream or form brownie bites by pressing mixture together. 

Recipe Notes

Note: Bake time with depend on type of cake pan used. I use 3 pans from this cake pan set. If your pans are deeper you will likely only need 2 pans and have to increase baking time. 

* Adapted from my recipe for chocolate cupcakes.