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    Home » Recipes » Baking Recipes

    Published: Nov 13, 2022 · Modified: Jan 4, 2023 by DJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Soft Vegan Black Forest Cake

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Fluffy Sweet Loaf Cakes

    I'm so happy with how this vegan black forest cake turned out. It is covered with creamy buttercream and a sweet cherry compote and it is honestly so delicious!

    For more festive vegan cake inspiration check out my vegan gingerbread cake too.

    Prefer To Watch Instead?

    Ingredients For This Recipe

    A photo of the ingredients for my vegan black forest cake recipe.
    • Soy milk
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • All-purpose flour
    • Cocoa powder
    • Brown sugar
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Salt
    • Canola oil - this is the same as rapeseed oil
    • Vanilla extract
    • Maple syrup - gives it that extra bit of sweetness
    • Fresh cherries - make sure that they're pitted
    • Cornstarch
    • Water
    • Vegan butter block
    • Powdered sugar
    • Vegan chocolate bar - for grating on top of the cake
    A fork slicing through a thick piece of cake. It has lots of buttercream and cherry compote on it.

    How To Make Vegan Black Forest Cake

    Step By Step Instructions

    For the full method and ingredient amounts, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Step One

    Grease two loaf cake tins with vegan butter. Set aside.

    Two greased cake tins.

    Step Two

    Make the vegan buttermilk.

    The buttermilk in a pyrex jug curdling.

    Step Three

    Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

    The dry ingredients combined inside a large bowl.

    Step Four

    Pour into your wet ingredients.

    The wet ingredients have been added in.

    Step Five

    Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

    A chocolatey batter. The dry has been folded into the wet

    Step Six

    Pour the cake batter into the two loaf cake tins. Bake.

    The cake batter for the vegan black forest cake has been poured into the cake tins.

    Step Seven

    Let the cakes cool.

    The cakes cooling in the tins.

    Step Eight

    Add the compote ingredients to a heatproof pan. Bring to a boil.

    The ingredients for the cherry compote mixed together in a steel pan.

    Step Nine

    Simmer the cherry compote until it thickens.

    The cherry compote has thickened in the pan.

    Step Ten

    Make the buttercream.

    The vegan buttercream ingredients almost combined inside a stand mixer.

    Step Eleven

    Spread some compote onto the chocolate cake.

    The cherry compote spread on top of a chocolate cake loaf.

    Step Twelve

    Spread some buttercream on top of the cherry compote then add a little extra compote on top.

    Buttercream spread on top of the compote. Extra compote over the buttercream.

    Tips For Making Black Forest Cake

    Avoid using frozen cherries

    Room temperature fresh cherries are what you need. Icy frozen cherries will affect the texture of your black forest cake negatively and the cake will be too wet.

    Let your cakes cool before adding buttercream

    If you add buttercream to the cake while it is still warm, it will melt and become difficult to spread. This would be the same if you use vegan whipped cream too.

    A single slice of black forest cake on a shiny white plate.

    Customise This Recipe

    • Use vegan whipped cream. If you have vegan whipped cream in a store near you, feel free to use that instead of making the buttercream. Many black forest gateaus have whipped cream.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is my vegan chocolate cake gummy?

    Don't over mix the cake batter. This makes the cake dense. Too much flour may have also been added.

    How To Store My Vegan Black Forest Cake

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 4 days.

    An overhead shot of my vegan black forest cake which is sliced into thick pieces. The cherry compote is glistening on top.

    More Chocolate Cake Recipes

    Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake

    Vegan Chocolate Snickers Cake

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    A close up shot of a full vegan black forest cake loaf. Lots of cherries on top making the buttercream pink.

    Soft Vegan Black Forest Cake


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Vegan Treats Blogger
    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: 1 Cake 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Pin Recipe
    Print Recipe

    Description

    This easy vegan black forest cake is creamy, sweet and chocolatey. Spread on the buttercream and the cherry compote then serve. 


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Chocolate cake:

    • 200ml soy milk
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • 175g all-purpose flour (sifted)
    • 25g cocoa powder
    • 150g brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 50ml canola oil (rapeseed)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

     Cherry compote:

    • 140g fresh cherries (pitted)
    • 0.5 Tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
    • 40ml water

    Buttercream layer:

    • 225g vegan butter block* (see notes)
    • 240g powdered sugar* (see notes)
    • 0.25 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Toppings:

    • 20g vegan chocolate (grated)
    • Fresh cherries (to taste) (optional)

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    1. Preheat the oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
    2. Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake tins with cold vegan butter then set aside. 

    Make the cake:

    1. Make the vegan buttermilk. Mix together the soy milk and the vinegar. Set aside for 7-8 minutes so that it can curdle. Measure out the other ingredients in the meantime.
    2. To a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix to combine. 
    3. Next, pour in the buttermilk, the oil, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Carefully, fold your cake batter until there are no pockets of flour left.
    4. Equally, pour the cake batter into the two prepared cake tins. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out completely clean when they are ready.
    5. Let the cakes cool in their tins for 15 minutes, then remove the cakes from the tins. Transfer them to a cooling rack to so that they can cool down completely.

    Make the cherry compote:

    1. While the cake is baking, make the cherry compote.
    2. To a small saucepan, add all the compote ingredients. Mix until combined.
    3. Place over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 10-12 minutes or until the compote thickens.
    4. Remove from the heat and let the compote cool down. Set aside.

    Make the buttercream:

    1. To a stand mixer or a large bowl, add the vegan butter block and cream with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
    2. Add half of the powdered sugar then beat again until it is combined and has started to thicken. Then add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat again. It should be nice and thick at this point.
    3. Finally, pour in the vanilla extract. Mix one more time.

    Assemble the cake:

    1. Carefully use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to brush a thin layer of the compote onto the top side of each cake. It should soak in.
    2. Spread the buttercream on top of the compote layers on the two cakes. Smooth it out. Drizzle the rest of the compote over the buttercream.
    3. Sprinkle grated chocolate on top and add extra fresh cherries if you wish.

    Notes

    • Not all powdered sugar is vegan so be sure to check.
    • Use a block of vegan butter instead of vegan butter spread. The consistency is better and creates thicker buttercream. I use the vegan Flora block. 
    • Prep Time: 25 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Category: Bakes
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: Black Forest Cake

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Slice
    • Calories: 323
    • Sugar: 36.8 g
    • Sodium: 411.3 mg
    • Fat: 12.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 52.2 g
    • Protein: 3 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: black forest cake, vegan black forest cake, vegan chocolate cake, cherry cake, vegan desserts, vegan baking

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag us in your photos @vegan_treats_blogger — I love seeing your creations!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous says

      January 07, 2023 at 5:43 pm

      My favourite vegan Black Forest cake recipe. Made this many times. Highly recommended.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

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