Double Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake [Whole Wheat + Vegan]

Rich, moist, fudgy chocolate cake made with healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour, olive oil, and an easy vegan fudge frosting. This cake is perfect for birthdays, holidays, and everyday chocolate cake emergencies!

SAY HELLO TO THE BIRTHDAY CAKE OF MY DREAMS.

Rich, fudgy, super moist, and boldly chocolate flavored through and through, this cake is everything I could ever wish for in a chocolate cake.

The good news is, tomorrow is my birthday, and I made my own dreams come true by making myself this cake. It’s like those quotes about how everything you’ve ever needed was already inside of you…but, in cake form.

Who knew, the exact cake I needed to suppress the growing panic of entering the last year of my 20’s was always inside of me, just waiting to be baked.

Okay, this is getting weird. Let’s make cake.

This cake is made in 1 bowl in under an hour, start to finish, and thanks to all the cocoa powder in the batter, doesn’t taste the least bit ‘whole wheat’.

Then, just to make sure it tastes appropriately decadent, it’s frosted with a thick, rich, fudgy chocolate frosting made from coconut milk and dark chocolate, and then topped with a few dye-free sprinkles.

I mean, the sprinkles are optional, but if I’m making my own birthday cake, I’m obviously adding the sprinkles. 

If you’re in the market for a chocolate cake that’s made with wholesome ingredients but still every bit as decadent and delicious as the classic, this cake is going to become your new family favorite.

Make it for all the December babies in your life, for your New Year’s Eve celebration, or for any life occasion in which a cake would be appropriate (so, pretty much every occasion?).

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your homemade cake and share it with me on Instagram! I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen.

Double Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake [Whole Wheat + Vegan]

Yields: 1 8-inch 2-layer cake

Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

cake:

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of choice)
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature*
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar (can sub organic brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour**
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

frosting:

• 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, coffee, oil, vinegar, sugar, and vanilla. Add all remaining cake ingredients and whisk again to fully combine.
3. Divide cake batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 14-16 minutes, until just cooked through (do not over bake- this cake dries out easily!). Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to fully cool at room temperature.
4. While cake bakes and cools, make the frosting: heat the coconut milk in a small pot over medium heat until just steaming (not boiling), or in a microwave safe dish for about 45 seconds. Pour the hot milk into a small bowl, add the chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt, and stir until chocolate chips are fully melted. Transfer to the fridge and let cool until cake is fully cooled (at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours).
5. When cake is cooled, transfer frosting mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer (hand-held electric beaters work, too!) and whip on high until frosting is slightly lighter in color and fluffier- about 30 seconds.
6. Gently transfer one cake layer to a large plate, top with about a third of the frosting, and spread in a thin, even layer over the cake. Top with the second cake layer, then scoop all remaining frosting on top, using an offset spatula or smooth side of a butter knife to spread the frosting down over the edges of the cake. This frosting is very rich, so it will only be a thin layer- but it’s enough! Top with sprinkles, if desired, and serve.
7. This cake keeps well at room temperature for up to 4 days.

NOTES: 

*coffee helps deepen the flavor of the chocolate, but doesn’t add any coffee or mocha flavor to this cake. It also acts as an acid, along with the vinegar, to help activate the baking soda. ** white whole wheat flour has a more mild texture and flavor, but the same nutrition profile, as traditional whole wheat. Half all-purpose and half regular whole wheat can be used in it’s place, if desired, as could spelt or einkorn flour. To make this cake gluten-free, use an all purpose GF blend in place of the white whole wheat flour. I suspect oat flour would also work, though will yield a slightly more dense, delicate cake. ***If you’d like a thicker layer of frosting (this cake has a thin (but rich) frosting layer, feel free to increase it by 50% or even double the frosting ingredients for a more traditionally thick layer of frosting.

#double chocolate fudge birthday cake, #egg free chocolate cake, #moist chocolate cake recipe, #vegan chocolate cake, #whole wheat birthday cake