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This Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake with Ganache is made on stove top and not baked in an oven! It comes together within minutes, is moist and decadent. soy-free, palm oil free. Vegan Soyfree Recipe.  Jump to Recipe Â
You know Summer is eventually… eventually going to be here sometime and it will be too hot to start up the oven to bake up a chocolate cake. That’s when you can make this Chocolate Layer Cake for 1 or 2 in a pan! Or you can make it now. 🙂
This cake can served with the layers of ganache or frosting as a delicious dessert or serve the layers as breakfast pancakes. Super fun, quick and easy. A silky smooth ganache makes this is decadent treat. Use a nut butter chocolate frosting for variation.Â
This recipe makes two small 3 layer Chocolate cakes! Share or not :). The cakes or pancakes are lightly sweet and the ganache helps adds a more chocolate and sweet to the over cake for a great balance. This cake is soy and palm oil free with cocoa butter based chocolate.Â
So moist and perfect!
More Chocolate things from the blog.Â
- Vegan Almond Butter Blondies with Chocolate Chips
- Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Cake and Cake Mix In a Jar
- Chocolate Chip Cookie, Date Caramel Brownie Bars
- Gluten free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Steps:
Make the cake batter. Heat a thick bottom skillet over medium heat. Place a cookie cutter on the skillet. Spray oil on the cutter and bottom. Pour a layer of batter in the cookie cutter. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.Â
You want to add a thin layer of batter, else the pancake will rise over the cookie cutter. The cookie cutter trick inspired from Brandi’s tall pancakes.Â
Once the edges start to look dry, using tongs, loosen the cookie cutter and remove.Â
Flip the pancake and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.Â
Once the pancakes are ready, make your ganache or frosting. Layer the pancakes with enough ganache or frosting per layer. Â Pictured Ganache.
Even out over the entire layer cake if you like. Chill for 15 minutes or longer and serve.Â
Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake. No Bake!
Ingredients Â
Dry
- 1/2 cup spelt , or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- use my gf pancake mix to make these gluten-free, , instead of the spelt and all purpose flours above
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Wet:
- 3/4 cup non dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons almond butter , or other nut butter
- 2 tablespoons oil, or use applesauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flax seed meal
- 1/3 cup sugar, add 1 tbsp more for sweeter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Ganache
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk , or almond milk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
InstructionsÂ
- In a bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients and keep aside.
- In another bowl, combine the non dairy milk, nut butter, oil, salt, flax meal, sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add in the lemon juice. Add the dry ingredient and mix into a smooth batter.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place a large cookie cutter over the pan. Spray oil on the pan and the cookie cutter. Pour batter into the cookie cutter to make a thin layer. Cover the pan with a lid, Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cookie cutter using tongs or gloves. Flip the pancake and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.Repeat for all the batter.
- You can also make regular pancakes by pouring the batter on the pan and cooking for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Cool and then use the cookie cutter to cut them into similar size round shapes. The ones cooked in the cutter come out taller and fluffier.
- Prepare your ganache or frosting. Spread over the pancakes and layer them as may as you would like. Serve!
- Tips: You want to cook these pancakes at a slightly lower heat so as to not burn the bottom. The cookie cutters also help hold the moisture in the pancakes. Without the cutters the pancakes might be dry-ish when over cooked. This batter can also be baked into a cake. Bake in 8 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Ganache:
- Heat the non dairy milk and maple syrup until just about smoking. Take off heat. Add the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. then whisk until all melted and smooth. Chill for 10 minutes then use.
- Variation: Almond butter chocolate frosting: Melt 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips over a double boiler. Let it cool for a minute. Whisk in 1/2 cup almond butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 to 2 tablespoons non dairy milk for desired consistency and mix in. use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi richa! I wanted to use your GF pancake mix and i wasnt sure if that replaced all the dry ingredients. After making the GF pancake mix and mixing it with the wet ingredients i realised there was no cocoa in that so i added the cocoa. The resulting batter was very cookie dough like rather thAn pancake like. How should i be substituting the Gf mix?
cocoa powder is also dry ingredient, so the total dry probably became more. In general different types of flours absorb different amounts of liquid. So if after any substitution, if the batter is too dry, add a bit more liquid ingredients such as non dairy milk to get the right consistency. If the batter is too thin, add a bit more flour ingredients. the gf batter also keeps thickening as it sits, while the regular batter doesnt change much. so if it thickens too much, you can add some more non dairy milk again.
If we did not have a cookie cutter nor a heavy bottom pan and wanted to bake these, then at what temperature and how long.
bake it at 365 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean.
the time is for one or two 8 inch pans. for smaller pans, the baking time will be 25 minutes or so
This looks delicious! How large is the cookie cutter approximately? Just so I have any idea…
i used 3.5 inch.
I saw this cute idea of yours when you posted it, and I had been keeping it in the back of my mind. I was at the kitchen store yesterday, and when I saw round cookie cutters of the right size, I knew we had to try it. My almost-four year old was totally on board, so today we mixed up our usual pancake batter (Isa’s Puffy Pillow Pancakes) with slightly less baking powder, a bit more sugar, and cocoa powder. The cake layers turned out perfectly! My daughter spread raspberry jam and coconut milk whipped cream with coconut flakes between each layer, and we all sat down and had cake and tea together. Thanks for the fantastic idea. We had so much fun!
Awesome! so glad it was a fun evening!
Richa, if I didn’t cook those pancakes myself I would never have believed it wasn’t an actual cake straight out of the oven….no lie..it was to die for! I made it this morning for my daughter and I and it was definitely PLENTY for the 2 of us, which was a huge bonus. I made 5 huge pancakes out of mine and it was so rich, fluffy and amazing. What a wonderful idea you came up with! Your recipes are always winners girl!
Richa! This is insanely brilliant! I can’t wait to try it!!!
I think this is going to be my birthday cake!! It looks awesome!!
Is there any way to subtitute the nut butter? Maybe more oil?
Thanks!!
sure, use more oil.
This looks so tasty!! The cookie cutter is a great idea!
i love that this cake is actually pancakes! you are so clever. i can’t wait to see the shirts you want to design 😉
omg seriously!!!! This looks absolutely insane
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