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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Baking Recipes

    Published: Nov 13, 2022 · Modified: May 29, 2024 by DJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Soft Vegan Black Forest Cake (Black Forest Gateau)

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    I've always wanted to 'veganize' a classic black forest cake recipe and now that aspiration has become a reality with this easy and tasty vegan black forest cake which includes all the authentic features and components.

    These include cherries, chocolate cake, chocolate shavings and the buttercream. The cake itself takes just 20 minutes to bake inside the oven, meaning that this a treat that you can make fairly quickly.

    A fork slicing through a thick piece of cake. It has lots of buttercream and cherry compote on it. this recipe

    I'm extremely happy with how this black forest cake turned out. It is covered with so many delicious flavors and it is definitely one of the most moreish cakes that I have eaten.

    For more delectable vegan cake inspiration, make sure that you also check out my vegan gingerbread cake, eggless vanilla peanut butter cake and vegan double chocolate chip mug cake which are all worth a try. You won't be disappointed!

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Cake
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How To Make Vegan Black Forest Cake
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes
    • Soft Vegan Black Forest Cake

    Why You Will Love This Cake

    • Amazing Toppings - These vegan black forest cakes don't just have one topping, or even two toppings. There are three toppings! These are vanilla buttercream frosting, cherry compote and dairy-free chocolate shavings. These all combine to create the black forest flavors that we all know and love. Be sure to also see my vegan black forest cheesecake for more of these vibes.
    • Great Consistency - This cake shares a particular quality with my vegan cherry chocolate cake recipe. It isn't just the fact that they both make good use of cherries, but also the fact that the texture of the cakes are incredibly soft. It is some of the fluffiest chocolate cake that I've ever had.
    • Easy to Make - Making the black forest loaf cakes is so simple. All you need to do is fold the dry and wet ingredients together to form a cake batter, pour it into two loaf tins, bake them in the oven, make the toppings and assemble.
    • Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan black forest cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.

    Ingredient Notes

    The ingredients for my vegan black forest cake recipe laid out on a white backdrop in front of a brown wall.
    • Apple cider vinegar - One of the most underrated ingredients which can make such a big difference. After being stirred into soy milk, this vinegar will act as a vegan buttermilk, reacting with the leavening agents to create a gorgeous light and airy chocolate cake texture which will be unforgettable, just like my vegan chocolate orange cake and vegan chocolate snickers cake recipes.
    • Canola oil - This is the same thing as rapeseed oil. What you call it simply depends on where you're from in the world. This ever-reliable oil helps to give the cakes their moist consistency.
    • Fresh cherries - I prefer to use these, rather than frozen cherries as they're much easier to handle than when they're thawing. Make sure that your fresh cherries are pitted before you use them. You can buy them this way from many grocery stores.
    • Cornstarch - This will be used as the thickener for the cherry compote. As the compote will be placed on top of the cake, it needs to be thick enough to withstand dripping down the sides.
    • Vegan butter block - The main ingredient for the dairy-free buttercream frosting topping which will be combined with the powdered sugar.
    • Vegan chocolate bar - You will need to grate the chocolate bar onto the top of the vegan black forest cake. I thought that adding this final, small touch would make the cake even more authentic and delicious.

    See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • If you're not a fan of buttercream frosting, be sure to use vegan whipped cream instead in its place. You can either make my vegan coconut whipped cream or alternatively, if you have dairy-free whipped cream in a grocery store near you, feel free to use that too instead of making the buttercream. Many black forest gateau recipes use whipped cream.
    • This particular recipe doesn't call for any specific kinds of cocoa powder to be used. You can increase the quality and the richness of the chocolate cake flavors easily if you wish. Instead of using ordinary cocoa powder, use high-quality cocoa powder. Until you try this substitution, you won't appreciate the difference that it makes to the final outcome of the cake.

    How To Make Vegan Black Forest Cake

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

    Two greased loaf cake tins.

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

    The vegan buttermilk in a pyrex jug curdling.

    2: Make the vegan buttermilk.

    The dry ingredients combined inside a large bowl.

    3: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

    The wet ingredients have been added in.

    4: Pour in your wet ingredients.

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

    5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to form a chocolate batter.

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

    6: Pour the cake batter into the two loaf cake tins. Bake inside the oven.

    The cakes cooling in the tins.

    7: Let the cakes cool fully.

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

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

    The cherry compote has thickened in the pan.

    9: Simmer the cherry compote until it thickens.

    The vegan buttercream ingredients almost combined inside a stand mixer.

    10: Make the buttercream frosting.

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

    11: Spread compote onto the flat side of both chocolate cakes.

    Buttercream has been spread on top of the compote and extra compote has been added on top of the buttercream.

    12: Also spread some buttercream on top of the cherry compote then add a little extra compote. Refrigerate before slicing.

    Expert Tips

    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. Let the cakes cool fully before applying any of the toppings.

    A whole loaf of my vegan black forest cake which is sliced into thick pieces over a marble chopping board. The cherry compote is glistening on top.

    Recipe FAQs

    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.

    What to pair with black forest cake?

    Cold and velvety dairy-free vanilla ice cream compliments this cake perfectly. It softens the sweetness and bitterness which comes from the cake.

    How can I store vegan black forest cake?

    Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for 4 days.

    More Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes

    • A large, creamy slice of my vegan tiramisu cake. There is so much espresso cream in the centre that it is oozing out!
      Vegan Tiramisu Chocolate Cake
    • A large, moist slice of my vegan chocolate mousse cake on a shiny, white plate. It is topped and filled with silky mousse.
      Vegan Double Chocolate Mousse Cake
    • An almost-whole vegan chocolate bundt cake on a slate serving board covered in peanut butter glaze. One slice is missing.
      Best Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze
    • A gooey and super chocolate vegan chocolate lava cake on a white plate.
      Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

    If you tried this Vegan Black Forest Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    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

    This easy vegan black forest cake is creamy, sweet and chocolatey. Spread on the buttercream and the cherry compote then serve. 
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Black Forest Cake
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 Slices
    Calories: 382kcal
    Author: DJ

    Ingredients

    Chocolate cake:

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

     Cherry compote:

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

    Buttercream layer:

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

    Toppings:

    • 20 g vegan chocolate grated
    • Fresh cherries to taste (optional)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Preparation:

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

    Make the cake:

    • 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.
    • To a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix to combine. 
    • 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.
    • Equally, pour the cake batter into the two prepared cake tins. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out completely clean when they are ready.
    • 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:

    • While the cake is baking, make the cherry compote.
    • To a small saucepan, add all the compote ingredients. Mix until combined.
    • 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.
    • Remove from the heat and let the compote cool down. Set aside.

    Make the buttercream:

    • To a stand mixer or a large bowl, add the vegan butter block and cream with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
    • 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.
    • Finally, pour in the vanilla extract. Mix one more time.

    Assemble the cake:

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Sprinkle grated chocolate on top and add extra fresh cherries if you wish. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing for the tastiest results.

    Video

    Notes

    • 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.
    • 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. Let the cakes cool fully before applying any of the toppings.
    • Not all powdered sugar is vegan as some use bone char, 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 505mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 743IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @vegan_treats_blogger or tag #vegantreatsblogger!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous says

      January 07, 2023 at 5:43 pm

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

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm DJ. Welcome to Vegan Treats Blogger!

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