Vegan.Happy Christmas Eve!One of Santa’s reindeer has escaped from the sleigh!3 layers of rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream. gold antlers and fondant details.This cake is easy to make and is absolutely delicious!Preparation- 30 minutesBaking time- 28-30 minutesServes- Approximately 10-12Level- Medium…Ingredients for the cake-480ml of dairy-free milk -2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar-420g of self-raising flour-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder-470g of golden caster sugar-1 teaspoon of baking powder-1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda-120g of coconut oil (melted)Ingredients for the buttercream -210g of dairy-free butter-500g of icing sugar-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder-Dairy-free milk (if needed)Extras-Chocolate ganache-Fondant-100g of dairy-free chocolate-Edible gold paint…To make the cakesStep 1- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c and line three 6 inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.Step 2- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.Step 3- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.Step 4- Add the melted coconut oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine. Step 5- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.Step 6- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins.Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.Step 7- Pop the cakes into the center of the preheated oven and bake for around 28-30 minutes. You will know they are baked when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.Step 8- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.To make the buttercreamStep 1- In a bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder.Whip together until combined, light and fluffy.Add a splash of dairy-free milk if too thick.Step 2- Make a batch of chocolate ganache.Step 3- Stack and fill the cakes with the chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.Step 4- Crumb coat the whole cake with the ganache and pop into the fridge to set. This will take around 1 hour.Step 5- Add a thick layer of buttercream all over the cake and using a smooth or textured cake scraper or large spatula, smooth out the buttercream.Step 6- Using different piping tips, add different patterns around the cake. This creates a knitted effect.Click here for a great tutorial.Decorate the cake with two strips of white fondant for the eyes, which i painted with edible gold paint and a large red fondant ball for the nose (as seen in the photos).To make the antlers, I melted and tempered some dairy-free chocolate and piped them onto greaseproof paper. Allow them to set then paint with edible gold.Serve fresh or store in a sealed container in the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature. Best eaten within a few days!PIN MEMake sure you follow me on my social mediaMy Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/thelittleblogofvegan/Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/littleblogofvegan/Twitter- https://twitter.com/BlogofVeganI would love to see your take on my recipes. Tag me on social media using the hashtag #Blogofvegan #thelittleblogofvegan All of my social media links are in the side bar…come and say hi!Share and follow me for more yummy posts to come!
