Celebrate a birthday or special occasion with this delicious chocolate drip cake adorn with bournville chocolates!
When I first discovered that Bournville chocolate was accidentally vegan (meaning its intentions were not vegan but yay it is anyway!) I was thrilled and new that eventually I would make a big cake covered in all its chocolate glory. So when my Dad's birthday came around, I knew he'd love it. I've used my simple chocolate cake recipe, made an easy chocolate buttercream and a tasty chocolate ganache to drip - I was also super happy with how my chocolate drip turned out, got to celebrate the small wins! I feel like you never get to see vegan drip cakes very often, but now that more vegan chocolates are on the horizon, hopefully there'll be plenty more. Bournville chocolate is so delicious, and velvety and actually kind of milky. This was my first time trying and using the chocolate fingers which are a 10/10 just like the Cadbury's ones, and the chocolate buttons were so moreish I can't fault them.
If you're after a decadent celebration cake keep reading for the recipe!
Check out my other cake recipes for more inspiration!
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Recipe
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 10
Serves: 10
NOTE: every ingredient I use is vegan so make sure you check your ingredients if you're following a Vegan lifestyle.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
60g Cocoa powder - I used Bournville Cocoa hot chocolate
2 tsp Instant coffee granules + 240ml boiling water
350g Self-raising flour
200g Caster sugar
100g Light brown sugar
120ml Soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
220g Vegan butter
200g Applesauce
2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp Instant coffee granules + 240ml boiling water
350g Self-raising flour
200g Caster sugar
100g Light brown sugar
120ml Soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
220g Vegan butter
200g Applesauce
2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
Buttercream
250g Vegan butter
500g Icing sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
70g Bournville chocolate melted
Pinch of saltChocolate ganache
50g Bournville chocolate, chopped
100g Coconut cream
Toppings
Method
✿Preheat the oven to 180℃ and grease and line x2 deep 6 inch cake tins. Make the cake.
✿Boil the kettle. In a bowl combine cocoa powder and coffee granules together and pour over the boiling water. Give a little stir to mix then leave to cool down.
✿Add the ACV to the soya milk to create a 'buttermilk'. Leave to the side.
✿Cream together the butter and both sugars in an electric mixer, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. It should be fluffy and smooth.
✿In another bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt.
✿Add the applesauce, vanilla and chocolate mixture to the buttermilk.
✿With the mixer on a low speed start with the dry ingredients and finish with dry - so add a bit of flour, then wet then dry then and so on until all ingredients are in the same bowl and all is mixed together.
✿Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, leave to cool in the tins before removing and keep covered to not dry out.
✿Boil the kettle. In a bowl combine cocoa powder and coffee granules together and pour over the boiling water. Give a little stir to mix then leave to cool down.
✿Add the ACV to the soya milk to create a 'buttermilk'. Leave to the side.
✿Cream together the butter and both sugars in an electric mixer, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. It should be fluffy and smooth.
✿In another bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt.
✿Add the applesauce, vanilla and chocolate mixture to the buttermilk.
✿With the mixer on a low speed start with the dry ingredients and finish with dry - so add a bit of flour, then wet then dry then and so on until all ingredients are in the same bowl and all is mixed together.
✿Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, leave to cool in the tins before removing and keep covered to not dry out.
✿Meanwhile make the buttercream. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals then leave to cool a little.
✿In a standing mixer or with an electric whisk, beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until creamy.
✿Add the icing sugar in stages making sure to mix thoroughly in between - scrape down the bowl often to collect all of the butter and sugar at the bottom of the bowl.
✿Once all the sugar is mixed in, add in the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix till you have a creamy buttercream. If the buttercream is a little stiff, add a splash of plant based milk to help loosen the consistency. Keep covered whilst you make the ganache to stop it forming a crust.
✿To make the chocolate ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Bring to a light boil then pour over the chocolate and leave for a few minutes.
✿Use a spatula to stir it well until smooth and glossy - try to avoid using a whisk as this will incorporate too much air and it needs to be fluid.
✿To assemble the cakes, cut both cake layers in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a cake board or plate and spread some of the chocolate buttercream on top.
✿Repeat for the remaining layers making sure to leave some to cover all of the sides and pipe swirls on top. (I made a batch of vanilla and dyed it red to match the Bournville branding but you don't need to do this). Use a palette knife or cake scraper to get smooth edges, or get creative!
✿Use a spoon to drip the chocolate ganache around starting from the top of the cake. I usually drop a little on the top then sort of push the chocolate with my spoon to encourage it to drip down the sides. If it doesn't go as long, you can add a little more chocolate.
do this quickly before the ganache in the bowl sets. Spoon the rest of the ganache on top of the cake and smooth out with a knife or back of the spoon.
✿Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the ganache, and then place random bits of the bournville buttons/fingers/chocolate on top however you like.
✿Place in the fridge to set and then remove when ready to serve. Best kept in the fridge and if cut up keep covered in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Christina
xx
