Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Today we are having a big celebration! Which is why I bring this Vegan German Chocolate Cake to the blog!

Well, it’s my sister Marina’s birthday! She is 33 years old. There’s that cutie!

Anyway, what you need to know about Marina is that she is the sweetest, warmest human being on the face of Earth. She is feisty, and a great big sister. Marina always has my back. She is the first friend I ever had, my biggest friend, my best friend in the world!

Something else you should know about Marina is that she loves brigadeiros. Which is why this cake is decorated with these vegan brigadeiros I made the other day.

Actually, one of our favorite things to do growing up, was to have movie night (read binge watching Harry Potter), make brigadeiros, and eat with a spoon while Harry would defeat the Death Eaters, and stuff.

We wouldn’t make vegan brigadeiros, though. We would make the traditional ones, with condensed milk.

But now, Marina is actually lactose intolerant.

Which is why this Vegan German Chocolate Cake and my vegan brigadeiros are perfect for her! Because they are completely dairy-free, plant-based, paleo, you name it!

And let me tell you. Milk, you aren’t missed here! We are doing just fine! This cake is absolutely scrumptious. To the next level!

In Brazil, actually, we would call this Vegan German Chocolate Cake something else. It would be called Prestigio (Prestige? Sounds like a weird translation, but it’s the popular name for the combo coconut/chocolate.)

So, there are so many reasons that this cake is SO perfect for my beautiful sister Marina.

Making this cake is quite simple. I promise!

And the easy part about naked cakes is that they neither require frosting, and you can get away with a delicious, shiny ganache drip as you can see here.

Quite frankly, with the generous delicious coconut filling, and the moist vegan chocolate cake, you won’t miss the frosting. The ganache will tie it all together in a perfect symphony.

About how easy this cake is to make. Yes. Super easy. Trust me.

Simply mix the dry and wet ingredients of the batter for the vegan chocolate cake. Pour onto pans and bake.

A few tips on how to make this vegan chocolate cake

• Use a spatula to spread the chocolate cake batter in the bottom of the cake pans.
• Use four 6″ cake pans, or two 8″ cake pans. Be mindful the 8″ cake will be shorter.
• Let the cakes cool down all the way, then place them in the fridge until completely cold, before proceeding with assembling the cake.
• The cakes will be very moist, rich, and delicious, handle them with care. That’s why it’s important that they are cold from the fridge.

The filling used in the Vegan German Chocolate Cake is one of the simplest, easiest things you’ll ever make.

You’ll only need 4 ingredients for the vegan coconut filling:

• Coconut butter
• Cashew butter (or other nut butter)
• Shredded coconut
• Maple syrup

You’ll simply bring those ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, and let them cook for about 60 seconds, while stirring, in a medium-low heat, with a very gentle simmer.

That’s it.

Then pour the coconut filling into a bowl. Let it cool down to room temperature.

Important! Don’t place the filling in the fridge, or it will be impossible to spread it on the cakes. Use it at room temperature.

After the cake has chilled in the fridge, all you gotta do is pour the ganache over it.

How to achieve the perfect ganache consistency

It’s always best to use the ganache after making it, and letting it cool down to room temperature.

If you have to place the ganache in the fridge, then bringing it back to room temperature is certainly possible as well.

You can also play with the microwave and fridge in order to try to obtain the perfect ganache consistency.

Anyway, instructions for how to make the ganache are down below. Here is what I do to check if the ganache is ready to be dripped down the cake:

First, let the ganache come to room temperature naturally. And then give it a good stir. Grab a small amount on the end of a teaspoon. Hold it on the edge of the top of the cake, and let one small drop of ganache drip down the side of the cake.

Watch how it behaves. If the the drop reaches the bottom of the cake quickly, your ganache is too runny. If the drop won’t move, or go below the middle line of the cake, your ganache is too hard.

What you are looking for: a drop that travels all the way down to the middle of the cake or a little below, in a slow controlled pace.

If the ganache is too runny, you might want to place it in the fridge for a few minutes, give it a stir, and test. And keep putting it in the fridge and testing every few minutes.

If the ganache is too hard, you might want to put it in the microwave for a few seconds, like 4 seconds. And then give it a good stir, and test it again. Keep doing this until you find the desired consistency. However, don’t go above just a few seconds, because you don’t want to overheat the ganache.

If you like this Vegan German Chocolate Cake, you might want to check out some more of my Vegan Recipes.

Want more Vegan Cakes?

How about:

• Coconut Vegan Cake
• Raspberry Vegan Cake
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Vegan Cake

And if you want to see any vegan dessert recommendations, here are some, but don’t forget to browse the whole Vegan section, as I have a lot of stuff there.

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Vegan Pie
• Pecan Brownie Vegan Pie
• Brownies with Caramel Sauce

I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe. Feliz Aniversario, Marina! xoxo

Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Camila Hurst

This Vegan German Chocolate Cake is also paleo, gluten-free. Indulgent, rich, and delicious! Also, super easy to make!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Paleo, vegan

Servings 12 people

Calories 500 kcal

Ingredients

  

Vegan Chocolate Cake

• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 5 tablespoons warm water
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk or any other nut milk
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Filling

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 3 tablespoons cashew butter*
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Vegan Ganache

• 1/3 cup coconut cream 3 oz 85 grams
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 3.1 oz 90 grams

Instructions

 

Vegan Chocolate Cake

• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Line 4 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease them by brushing the pans with avocado oil. Set aside.
• Mix flax seeds with warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes to get thick, while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Sift together the almond flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• Mix milk, avocado oil, apple sauce, vanilla, and flax egg in a bowl. Add dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until combined.
• Divide batter into the 4 pans.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven to ensure even baking.
• Touch the cake with your finger, if it springs back it’s done. If it forms a dimple, means your cake needs to be baked longer. Keep checking so you don’t let it overbake.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Turn cakes onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, wrap and refrigerate them. It will make a difference to frost them while they are cold, because they will be sturdier, since this is a very moist and scrumptious cake.

Coconut Filling

• Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Melt ingredients together and bring to a soft boil over medium heat.
• Let mixture gently cook for about 1 minute.
• Remove to a bowl. Let it cool to room temperature.

Vegan Ganache

• Heat the coconut cream until it almost reaches a boil.
• Pour over chocolate chips. Wait a couple of minutes.
• Stir mixture with a spatula gently, until all chocolate has melted.
• If chocolate doesn’t melt, and you still see lumps, you want to place your ganache bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate has melted entirely.
• Set aside to cool to room temperature.

To assemble

• Place a slice of cake on a cake plate, or cake board.
• Spread some of the coconut filling in the middle. Place another cake on top.
• Keep doing this to all layers.
• Let it chill in the fridge until cold.
• Now it’s time to pour the ganache on top. You want the ganache to be at the perfect consistency, it can’t be too runny, and it can’t be too stiff. If your ganache is too runny, place it in the fridge for a few minutes and stir, repeating this until you achieve the desired consistency.
• Alternatively, if ganache is too stiff or hardened, you want to place it in the microwave for 3 second intervals, stirring in between, until you achieve the desired consistency.
• Test by dropping a small droplet on the side of the cake and watch how the drip flows, if it’s reaching the bottom of the cake too fast, it means it might be too runny, and if it doesn’t run down the cake, means it might be too stiff.
• You want the drip to stop in the middle of the cake, that’s when you know your ganache is at the perfect consistency.
• Let cake chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing.
• Decorate with the peanut butter truffles.

Storage

• This cake will store nicely in the fridge or freezer.
• Simply make sure to package it really well if you plan on freezing it, and only do it up to 1 month.
• It will keep nicely in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

*You can use other nut butter other than cashew to make the coconut filling. I find the cashew butter to have a mild taste, and color, and provide the best results, but any other nut butter could also work.

*I used these vegan brigadeiros to decorate the top of the cake

Keyword cake, chocolate, coconut