Vegan Chocolate Guinness Cake topped with tangy, sweet vegan cream cheese frosting. It's perfectly moist, rich, and dark, with malty, deep, complex richness. Perfect for St Patrick's Day or Father's Day!
PREP TIME: 20 minutesminutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
Servings: 12servings
Ingredients
For the cake
1¾ cup (218grams)all purpose flour, (plain flour in the UK)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (100grams)natural unsweetened cocoa powder, this MUST be natural & NOT Dutch processed cocoa
¾ cup (180ml)liquid oil, such as canola, vegetable or sunflower
1tablespoonvanilla extract
For the frosting
½ cup (4 oz/114grams)vegan cream cheese, I like Tofutti for frosting. This uses ½ a container. I DO NOT recommend using Violife.
¼ cup (55grams)vegan butter, a hard variety like Earth Balance
1tablespoonarrowroot powder, or cornstarch (can be omitted but the frosting will be looser)
1pinchfine sea salt
½teaspoonvanilla extract
2 to 2½ cups (250-312grams)powdered sugar(icing sugar in the UK)
OPTIONAL
1bardark chocolate, to make the chocolate curls garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
For the cake
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9-inch cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep (or a 9-inch springform pan or a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan). Grease the bottom and sides well, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper too. If using a loaf pan use a long rectangular strip to cover the bottom.
To a mixing bowl add the flour, sift in the cocoa, then add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Whisk them together to combine.
Measure the Guinness in a clear measuring jug like a Pyrex so that you can see where the stout ends and the foam begins. Don't scrape the foam off, it gets used, but it should not be part of the 1¼ cup (300 ml) measurement. Let it settle for a minute after pouring so you can see where the brown Guinness line comes up to on the measure.
To the Guinness add the oil and vanilla. Give it a quick mix together.
Make sure your cake pan is ready and the oven is at temperature before combining the wet and dry ingredients because once you do you need to work quickly. Pour the wet into the dry and fold (don't beat) them gently but quickly together. Be sure to scrape right into the bottom of the bowl. A few small lumps are ok.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap once or twice on the counter to level it and knock out any air bubbles, then bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. All ovens and bakeware vary so keep an eye on it towards the end.
Transfer to a cooling rack but leave the cake in the pan. This traps the steam, making the cake moister. Let it cool completely.
For the frosting
Add the vegan butter to a large bowl and beat it with an electric mixer on a medium high speed until soft and fluffy.
Add the cream cheese and beat again until just combined and smooth. Don't over-beat.
Now add the arrowroot powder, salt, vanilla and the powdered sugar. Beat on the lowest speed until the powdered sugar has stopped flying around and mostly combined, then turn the speed up to medium high and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping down the edges with a spatula as needed to get any dry powdered sugar off the sides and into the mix.
Assemble
Carefully remove the cake from the pan and place on a cake stand or plate.
Swoosh the cream cheese frosting all over the top with a spatula.
If making chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler to shave the sides of a bar of dark chocolate onto a cold plate. Once you have enough pop the plate in the freezer for a couple of minutes so the curls harden. Then scatter them over the frosting.
NOTES
Store the cake in an airtight cake storage tin, or covered on a plate. If unfrosted the cake can be stored at room temperature. Once the cream cheese frosting has been added it needs to be kept in the fridge. It will keep well for about 5 days. The flavor develops and gets better with time.If baking the cake in a loaf pan, you won't need quite as much frosting. I recommend halving it.