This chocolate orange cake is very moist, delicious and gluten free. It's flour base is nightshade free courtesy of the teff flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch. Fool your non vegan loved ones with this chocolately cake with a hint of orange.
I'm so excited to share my very first vegan chocolate orange cake on my website. Admittedly, I was apprehensive about sharing vegan cakes recipes.
I think it was due in part to the plethora of amazing predominately vegan bloggers that are out there but this one is a vegan, no dairy, eggless, butter free and super moist.
While I'm not a vegan, as mentioned before I do enjoy eating vegan/plant based food. I like the idea of omitting eggs from cakes and just overall challenging my culinary skills for those with lifestyle/dietary requirements.
I feel that this vegan chocolate orange cake lives up to it's reputation of goodness. After testing it a million times I felt confident enough to share it with you all because of the excellent feedback from my recipe testers.
Even the non-vegan ones were impressed when I told them after they have finished eating it that it wasn't a dairy based cake. If my people like it, then you will definitely love it!!
What is teff flour?
For those of you who are here because you are gluten free then you will probably already know the names of the various starches and flours that exist to make gluten free cooking palatable.
Teff in my humble opinion is underrated, so I want to shine some light on this gluten free alternative.
In short, teff flour is known as a superfood, an ancient grain which originates from the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea).
Teff is one of the smallest grains in the world but don't let its miniature size fool you. It's packed with amino acid, protein, calcium and iron.
It's also full of fiber so great for those who are looking for something to ease bowel movements. Furthermore, it has a low GI rating which makes it suitable for managing blood sugar levels. Ultimately, it's definitely an asset to the human body.
Cooking with teff flour
The main reason why teff is so underrepresented is simply because of it's origins. It's used widely in the horn of Africa, for dishes such as Injera, which is an Ethiopian flat bread.
It's not commonly used in Western cooking but as more celiacs/wheat intolerant people are discovering it, it's popularity is slowly growing.
Similar to buckwheat flour, teff flour is a wholegrain so it's dense with a malty/earthy taste. It works best by combining it with another flour i.e almond, brown rice and it can be quite costly, so be mindful of that when experimenting.
The steps
- Add the mashed banana then pour in the almond milk, coconut or olive oil and vanilla extract in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment.
- Proceed to mix the wet ingredients for about a minute.
- In another bowl, add the teff, rice brown flour, tapioca starch and cacao powder, powdered sugar, pink salt, orange zest and baking powder and mix together.
- Slowly add the flour blend to the wet ingredients until all the flour is incorporated while leaving the mixer on.
- Once all of the flour is in the mixer, mix the cake batter for 1 minute until a smooth batter is formed.
- Transfer the cake batter into the cake tin.
- Bake the cake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a skewer or tooth pick comes out clean.
- Place the chocolate pieces, orange extract and butter in the same bowl.
- Allow the chocolate to completely melt.
- Use a spatula/pallet knife to evenly spread a layer of the chocolate over the top and sides of the cake.
Can you use teff flour by itself instead of mixing with other flour?
Due to it's density I definitely wouldn't use it alone for baked good.
Can you use orange extract instead of the zest?
Yes, you can use 2 tablespoons instead. I like to use the zest of an orange just to make sure it's orange flavour really comes through.
What should I do with the leftover topping?
you can either freeze the remainder for up to 3 months. Then simply defrost in the refrigerator and use when you are ready to.
You can also use in any of these recipes - avocado chocolate mousse, Chocolate Chia Pudding, No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake.
Notes and tips
- I used an 8 inch baking pan to make this recipe.
- You can use vegan chocolate chips or use a vegan chocolate bar to make the topping.
- Freeze any leftover topping.
- This cake should last for a few days in an air tight container on your counter top away from heat.
- DON'T put the cake in the refrigerator as this will change the texture of your cake.
- If you need to freeze the cake, if possible do this without the topping. Wrap the cakes in saran (cling film) wraps, label and they can freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw it out in the countertop.
- Use both orange extract and the zest of an orange to optimise the taste.
- DON'T use a large banana to make this recipe or the taste of the banana will be pungent.
- To avoid any crust from forming on the cake don't overbake it.
Vegan desserts to try
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Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup of teff flour (90g)
- ½ cup of tapioca flour (60g)
- ½ cup brown rice flour (60g)
- ¼ cup of cacao powder (22g)
- 2 tsp of baking powder (10g)
- 1 small banana mashed
- 1 tbsp of orange zest (15g) or use orange extract
- ½ cup of powdered sugar (100g) see notes
- ½ cup olive or coconut oil (118ml) melted
- ½ cup almond milk (118ml) or another plant based milk
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract (5g)
- ¼ tsp of himalayan pink salt (2g)
To make the topping
- 6 oz of dairy free chocolate (170g)
- 1 tbsp of orange extract (15g)
- 1 tbsp dairy free butter (15g)
- garnish with almond flakes
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180c/356f
- Line and grease a 8'' spring form pan with parchment paper so the side and bottom are covered and set side.
- Add the mashed banana then pour in the almond milk, coconut or olive oil and vanilla extract in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment.
- Proceed to mix the wet ingredients for about a minute.
- In another bowl, add the teff, rice brown flour, tapioca starch and cacao powder, powdered sugar, pink salt, orange zest and baking powder and mix together.
- Slowly add the flour blend to the wet ingredients until all the flour is incorporated while leaving the mixer on.
- Once all of the flour is in the mixer, mix the cake batter for 1 minute until a smooth batter is formed.
- Transfer the cake batter into the cake tin.
- Bake the cake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a skewer or tooth pick comes out clean.
- Once the bake is baked, allow to cool enough before transferring the cake onto a cooling rack to cool down completely.
To make the chocolate topping
- Boil water in a saucepan (fill it halfway) and place a heatproof bowl over the water to make a bain marie.
- Place the chocolate pieces, orange extract and butter in the same bowl.
- Allow the chocolate to completely melt.
- Use a spatula/pallet knife to evenly spread a layer of the chocolate over the top and sides of the cake.
- Garnish with almond flakes.
Notes
- I used an 8 inch baking pan to make this recipe.
- You can use vegan chocolate chips or use a vegan chocolate bar to make the topping.
- Freeze any leftover topping.
- This cake should last for a few days in an air tight container on your counter top away from heat.
- DON'T put the cake in the refrigerator as this will change the texture of your cake.
- If you need to freeze the cake, if possible do this without the topping. Wrap the cakes in saran (cling film) wraps, label and they can freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw it out in the countertop.
- Use both orange extract and the zest of an orange to optimise the taste.
- DON'T use a large banana to make this recipe or the taste of the banana will be pungent.
- To avoid any crust from forming on the cake don't overbake it.
I haven't tried baking with teff flour yet, but this cake looks so moist and wonderful. I'll definitely be making this for friends who are gluten free.
Thanks Laura
Thank you for the helpful information on teff flour. I’ve heard about it before but was not familiar with how it makes. Your cake looks lovely and that frosting looks scrumptious!
Why thank you.
I so want a slice of this cake! I adore chocolate and orange together and vegan too? It's definitely a winner.
It is!!!
This cake turned out to be absolutely delicious!! It was soft and moist, and no one could tell it was vegan!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Anjali
Chocolate and orange is such a wonderful flavor combo! Perfect in this gorgeous vegan cake.
Thank you.
Such a delicious cake, I can't believe it's vegan!
Thank you Emmeline