Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Ingredients

Dry:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cup powdered vegan sugar,, 2 Tbsp more for sweeter – blend raw sugar to fine powder to use or use wholesome sweeeteners vegan powdered sugar
• 1/2 scant tsp salt

Wet:

• 1 1/2 cups non dairy milk, divided
• 1/3 cup non dairy chocolate chips or bar, semi sweet chips, or dark chocolate for dark/bittersweet cake
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 tsp vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp maple syrup

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup non dairy milk
• 1/3-1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup or more non dairy semi sweet chocolate like Enjoy Life
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter or almond butter or other seed or nut butter
• Fruit preserves like raspberry, apricot, cherry (optional)

Steps

Cake:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F / 170ºc. Whisk all the cake dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, warm 1 cup non dairy milk with the chocolate until just about hot, using the microwave or stove top. Whisk until the chocolate melts, then mix in the remaining wet ingredients and 1/2 cup non dairy milk until smooth.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to form a smooth batter.
4. Put the batter in two 8 inch cake pans that have been greased or lined with parchment.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F / 170ºc for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking, which can make the cakes crusty or dry.
6. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, remove from the pans and leave on a rack until completely cool before glazing or adding ganache. Cover with a towel during cooling to prevent drying. For quicker cooling, cover with a towel, parchment or a lid and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Ganache:

1. For the ganache, warm the non dairy milk and sugar in a pan over medium heat until just about hot and mix well. Add the chocolate, stir once and take the pan off the heat. Continue stirring until melted and smooth.
2. Mix in the vanilla and peanut butter or other nut butter until smooth. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, until thickened to the desired consistency.
3. Pour some ganache over one cake, spreading evenly with a spatula if needed. Set it in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes or in the freezer for 10.
4. Spread a thin, even layer of fruit preserves over the other cake if using, warming the preserves first if needed to make spreading easier. Put that cake on top of the ganache-glazed cake. Pour the remaining glaze over the top cake and spread with a spatula if necessary. Refrigerate for half an hour to set. If ganache remains, pour it over the set glaze to make another layer. Cover and chill for a few hours before serving.