Fudgy Earl Grey Orange Chocolate Cake with Shiny Glaze
A slice of fudgy, deeply chocolatey cake is my ultimate dessert, and this recipe does not disappoint! I’ve made many variations of this cake over the years, throwing in brewed coffee, whisky or rum, and they have all been delicious – but to me, this version is the best of all. My most successful vegan baking experiences generally occur with recipes that incorporate some sort of fruit or vegetable purée, such as mashed banana or pumpkin, and this is the role that the applesauce performs so well here, ensuring that the cake is ultra moist and delicious, but never heavy. The shiny glaze is a delicious way to add a little something extra to the cake, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
For Cake:
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1¼ cups unsweetened applesauce
• ¾ cup strongly brewed earl grey tea (using 2 tea bags)
• ¾ cup melted refined coconut oil
• 2¼ cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour, or a mix of both
• ¾ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
For Glaze:
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp olive oil or melted refined coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions:
For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Oil bundt pan (or preferred baking pan/pans, though baking times may vary), then dust with cocoa powder, shaking out excess.
In a medium bowl, combine almond milk and vinegar, and set aside for a couple of minutes.
After two minutes, add the applesauce, orange juice, tea and melted oil, and stir well to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both types of sugar, the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, orange zest and salt.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mix, and pour in the wet mixture. Whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into cake pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted to a central part of the cake comes out clean. For a bundt, this took about 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
For Glaze:
Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl or the top of a double boiler, and heat in 15 second increments until the chocolate is melted.
Stir to combine, and immediately spread over cooled cake.
