Moist Vegan Chocolate Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache

To Make the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.

Grease 3 6” round cake pans or 2 8” round cake pans. Cut out circles of parchment paper and lay them in the bottom of the pans. Note: you can use a 9” round pan, however the layers will be thinner and the finished cake crumb turns out a bit looser.

Next bloom cocoa powder: in a small bowl mix together the cocoa powder, instant espresso and the boiling water until there are no lumps. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the oil and sugar. Add the applesauce, room temperature oat milk, vanilla, and the bloomed cocoa powder into the sugar mixture and whisk.

Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a metal sieve and sift the dry ingredients onto the wet.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes until there are no (or very few) lumps.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 26-27 minutes for the 6” pans or 35-38 minutes for the 8” pans. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should remove cleanly when done.

Let them cool for 10-15 minutes in the pans. Then, de-mold the cakes and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

To Make the Ganache Frosting

Heat the coconut cream in the microwave for 30 seconds (or heat on the stove). It should be simmering, but it should not be boiling.

Pour over the chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Press the chocolate under the cream and let it sit for 30 seconds. Mix the chocolate to melt it.

Optional: once combined add the powdered sugar, ⅓ cup at a time and mix well until there are no lumps.

Place in the fridge for 2 hours to chill. Once chilled, the ganache will be thick and set. Beat with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes into stiff peaks. It should become lighter in color when you whip it. See notes for troubleshooting.

The Chocolate Crunch

Melt the chocolate with a double boiler. (Simmer 2-3 cups of water on low in a small pot and place a large heat proof bowl onto the pot. Add the chocolate to the bowl and stir to melt. See video tutorial above for how to do this.)

Turn off the heat once melted, and add the Rice Krispie Cereal. Mix to coat the cereal.

Pour the Rice Krispie Cereal onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread into a thin layer.

Place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up. Once firm, break or chop into small pieces and set aside until ready to assemble the cake.

To Assemble the Cake

Flip the first layer upside down (so the flat side is facing up). Spread an even layer of frosting on top of the cake. Sprinkle 1-2 cups of the chocolate crunch on the ganache, leaving about a 1” border to the edge.

Stack the next layer of cake on the crunch with the flat side facing up. Spread more ganache on top.

Apply a crumb coat of frosting to the sides of the cake layers. I chose to leave the cake partially naked on the sides, so the texture of cake peeks through, but if you'd like to add more frosting feel free to apply more after the crumb coat. Once frosted, sprinkle the top with more chocolate crunchies.