Name: Dairy-Free Chocolate-Raspberry Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 0.5 cup coconut oil, melted, plus more for pans; 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for pans; 2.667 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 2.25 cups granulated sugar; 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt; 2.25 teaspoons baking powder; 0.5 teaspoon baking soda; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 cup almond milk, room temperature; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla paste or extract; 0.667 cup seedless raspberry jam, warmed (or 1 cup regular jam, strained after warming to remove seeds); 12 ounces fresh raspberries (2 cups), for serving; 0.5 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, for serving (optional); 1 pound vegan bittersweet chocolate, chopped (3 cups); 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk; 0.667 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Dairy-Free Chocolate-Raspberry Cake

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Greg Lofts

Updated on February 9, 2021

Prep Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 40 mins

Servings:

A showstopping holiday dessert that's a piece of cake? Meet this four-layer chocolate confection, which comes together from a one-bowl batter and three-ingredient frosting. Coconut oil gives it an especially tender crumb and keeps it so moist, you can bake it days in advance. A tangy raspberry jam between each layer makes it even more extraordinary. Not to mention it's dairy-free, too, with almond milk in the batter and coconut milk in the frosting, so it's a fabulous final act for a kosher meal.

Ingredients

Cake:

½ cup coconut oil, melted, plus more for pans
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for pans
2 ⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup almond milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla paste or extract
⅔ cup seedless raspberry jam, warmed (or 1 cup regular jam, strained after warming to remove seeds)
12 ounces fresh raspberries (2 cups), for serving
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, for serving (optional)

Frosting:

1 pound vegan bittersweet chocolate, chopped (3 cups)
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
⅔ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush two 8-inch round cake pans with oil. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; brush parchment. Dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, 1 cup warm water, and vanilla until smooth. Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn cakes out onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.
Frosting: Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over chocolate; let stand 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar until smooth again. Refrigerate, stirring a few times, until thickened and cool, about 30 minutes. Beat in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days; beat again before using.
Cake and Frosting: Trim tops of cakes flat; split in half horizontally. Brush jam evenly over split sides of layers. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly over split side of a bottom cake layer (reserve other bottom layer for top of cake). Stack with next layer; spread with 3/4 cup frosting.
Repeat with remaining cake layers, placing reserved bottom cake layer on top, untrimmed-side up. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Decorate top with raspberries and coconut. Cut into wedges and serve.

Yuki Sugiura

Cook's Notes

To keep this cake dairy-free, be sure to buy chocolate labeled as vegan.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, December 2019