Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of plain flour
• 0.5 cup of Dutch cocoa powder (good cocoa powder makes a big difference)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of rice or soy milk
• 0.5 cup of canola Oil
• 1 jar of strawberry conserve type jam (about 350gms worth)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1.25 cups of sugar
• Fresh Strawberries to decorate

• 6 Tablespoons of vegan margarine e.g. Nuttelex or ETA
• 300g of chocolate either as chips or small pieces
• 0.25 cup of rice or soy milk
  
  

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Prepare two 8-inch round cake tins (ideally springform as the cake is quite sticky) by lining the bottom with greaseproof paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the rice/soy milk, canola oil, half a cup of the jam and sugar. It’s okay if there are still a few small lumps of jam after whisking. Add the dry ingredients to the wet bit by bit while mixing. Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 45 mins to an hour until a skewer pushed into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the icing by heating the quarter cup of rice/soy milk with the 6 tablespoons of margarine over a low heat until the margarine melts. Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate, mixing until all is melted. Leave to stand of at least 30 mins, you may need to pop the icing in the fridge if it’s not setting.

Once the cake is cooked, allow to cool thoroughly and then spread the base with the rest of the strawberry jam. On top of the jam, place a layer of icing, then place the top on the cake and ice the top and sides. Decorate with fresh strawberries cut in half.

This recipe is a variation of the Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting in Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s book “Vegan with a Vengence.”