Do you prefer brownies or chocolate cake? That's a tough choice, so why no have them both in the form of one dessert? This vegan brownie cake is decorated with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting which is spread between the two loaves of cake as well as on top. It takes less than 30 minutes to make too, which is a big win.
The texture of the cakes is somewhere in between a regular chocolate cake and a brownie. They're super fudgy, chocolatey, rich and the creamy frosting is a perfect addition to it. I know you're going to love it!
Whenever you want something sweet to eat and you can't decide whether you'd like a brownie or chocolate cake, remember this recipe and your day will be saved.
If you're in need of some extra chocolate brownie inspiration, my vegan mug brownie, eggless fudgy brownies, vegan caramel fudge brownie sundae and vegan cookie dough brownie bars recipes are going to be some of your new favorites.
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Why You Will Love This Brownie Cake
- Tasty Chocolatey Flavors - The words that I would use to describe this cake are rich and fudgy. The flavors are deep in the sense that they are extraordinarily chocolatey and that, paired with the brownie-like texture is a match made in heaven.
- So Easy to Make - This recipe couldn't be much simpler. All you need to do is fold together the wet and dry chocolate cake ingredients inside a bowl, pour the batter into two loaf cake tins and bake. Make the frosting while it's in the oven and then spread it onto the cakes.
- Amazing Topping - The easy vanilla buttercream frosting which sits in the center and on top of the vegan brownie cakes is perfectly complimentary. It's fluffy, it's creamy and takes the treat to a whole new level. If you've ever tried my vegan snickerdoodle cake or my eggless orange blueberry cake loaf recipes, you'll know this type of buttercream very well.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan chocolate brownie cake recipe is completely vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple cider vinegar - This ingredient will be mixed into the soy milk to make a vegan buttermilk. When added to the cake the vegan buttermilk makes it nice and moist, as well as helping the cake to rise and balancing the sweetness.
- Brown sugar - I usually find that using brown (demerara) sugar for chocolate cakes gives you the best outcomes, as opposed to granulated sugar. Brown sugar creates more moisture and I believe that factor alone is a good enough reason to choose it. Look how moist and delicious my vegan chocolate orange cake and eggless chocolate blueberry cake loaf turned out to be!
- Vegan butter block - Use a dairy-free butter block instead of a vegan margarine for this cake. Otherwise, the buttercream frosting won't be thick enough.
- Vegan baking chocolate - Baking-specific chocolate is by far the best kind chocolate to use when you need to melt it as it often doesn't become clumpy and burnt. Instead, they tend to melt equally into a smooth mixture.
- Powdered sugar - If you are vegan, make sure that the one you're using is suitable, as some brands use bone char which of course, is an animal product.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- To take this cake up a notch, use high-quality cocoa powder. I actually used a regular cocoa powder for this recipe and it's great but if you can upgrade the cake with a higher quality one, the richness will go through the roof. It just depends on what you like and how rich you like your chocolate cakes and brownies to be.
- With one simple substitution, you can make this cake gluten free. Although I haven't tried and tested this yet, I believe that swapping out the regular flour for a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour baking blend could be very delicious. Keep all the other recipe ratios the same and test it out for yourself. I also made this an option for my vegan Spanish fried cinnamon sugar churros and they turned out beautifully as a gluten free treat.
How To Make A Brownie Loaf Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Make the vegan buttermilk. Set aside.
2: Mix the dry chocolate cake ingredients inside a large bowl.
3: Melt the chocolate with the vegan butter.
4: Add the remaining wet ingredients to the chocolate mixture.
5: Fold the wet into the dry to form a batter.
6: Pour the vegan brownie cake batter into the tins. Bake in the oven.
7: Let the two cakes cool.
8: Make the vanilla buttercream frosting inside a stand mixer.
9: Apply the buttercream to the cakes. Create a sandwich and slice.
Expert Tips
Avoid over-mixing the batter - When you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, fold the chocolate cake batter gently and patiently until all of the flour is gone. By taking this patient approach, you will have a much lighter cake texture.
Use room temperature soy milk - Make sure that you take the soy milk out from the fridge prior to making this recipe so that it can get to room temperature. It will combine much better with the melted chocolate and melted butter when it isn't cold.
Recipe FAQs
Store this cake inside an airtight container and leave at room temperature for up to 3 days or place in the fridge for 4 days.
I love to serve this cake with dairy free cream like I would with an actual brownie. I also love to add fresh berries and chocolate shavings.
Yes, the main difference in traditional recipes is that the amount of sugar, flour and butter varies between the two desserts. The ratios that you use of each ingredient, will determine their outcomes. Can have a fudgy cake and cakey brownies and vice versa.
More Vegan Brownie Recipes That You Will Love
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Easy Vegan Brownie Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the brownie cake batter:
- 200 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 175 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 175 g brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 g vegan butter melted
- 75 g vegan baking chocolate melted
- 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the vanilla buttercream frosting:
- 225 g vegan butter block
- 240 g powdered sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Grease and line two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake pans with vegan butter and parchment paper then set aside. This brownie batter is sticky, so the non-stick parchment paper is very important.
- Make the vegan ‘buttermilk’ mixture. Stir the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together then set aside for 8 minutes so that it can curdle.
Make the brownie cake batter:
- Inside a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using the double-boiling (bain-marie) method, melt the vegan butter and chocolate together. Stir until smooth and creamy. Pour the vegan ‘buttermilk’ into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the wet mixture, as well as the canola oil and vanilla into the dry ingredients. Fold the cake batter gently, until all the pockets of flour are gone. Don’t over-mix.
Bake the cakes:
- Pour the chocolate cake batter equally into the two tins. Bake in the center of your oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out clean when they’re done.
- Let the chocolate cakes cool inside their tins for 15 minutes then transfer them over to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Make the buttercream:
- Add the vegan block butter to a stand mixer and cream with the whisk attachment on a high speed for 2 minutes. Switch to a medium speed and add half of the powdered sugar. Beat again until combined.
- Pour in the remainder of the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat one more time to create a thick buttercream.
- Spread half of your vanilla buttercream onto the flat side of one of the cooled chocolate loaf cakes. Place the other cake on top of the filling then spread the rest of the buttercream neatly on top. Slice and serve.
Notes
- When you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, fold the chocolate cake batter gently and patiently until all of the flour is gone. By taking this patient approach, you will have a much lighter cake texture.
- Make sure that you take the soy milk out from the fridge prior to making this recipe so that it can get to room temperature. It will combine much better with the melted chocolate and melted butter when it isn't cold.
Chris says
Such a delicious cake
DJ says
Thanks Chris!