Chocolate, Olive Oil + Hazelnut Snack Cake {vegan, gf}

Snack cake, with a vegan gf chocolate olive oil sponge cake and fluffy chocolate frosting. All topped with roasted hazelnuts (and sprinkles!). Eat as a snack regularly because, why not? 

So I don’t know who came up with the whole ‘snack cake’ business, considering it’s literally just frosting covered chocolate cake in a big pan, but I’m down for it. Put the word snack in front of cake and you don’t feel at all guilty about having a few pieces as a mid-morning pick me up. It’s just a snack cake, so it’s fine right?! That’s my reasoning anywho. Also, snack cake is just really fun to say.

This snack cake is a good time: light, spongy and vegan and gluten-free, though you could just use regular flour or spelt flour if you wanted. It’s made with olive oil for an extra punch of flavour and topped with crunchy roasted hazelnuts.  And sprinkles because I couldn’t help myself. There’s also a little fresh brewed coffee (I used my stove-top coffee maker) in the cake and the frosting because it ramps up the chocolatey-ness.

And this frosting… OMG this frosting. It’s so light and fluffy, but the melted bittersweet chocolate in it gives it serious depth and richness. And it’s all so quick to whip up. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, mix together, bake. Whip frosting. Frost, sprinkle, shove in mouth. Maybe share some with your friends. Maybe.

Chocolate Olive Oil + Hazelnut Snack Cake {vegan, gf option}

vegan, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, gf option

 Snack cake, with a vegan gf chocolate olive oil sponge cake and fluffy chocolate frosting. All topped with roasted hazelnuts (and sprinkles!). Eat as a snack regularly because, why not?Adapted from The Loopy Whisk's gluten free chocolate cake and vegan gf chocolate cake.

Servings 24

Ingredients

dry

• 2 cups plain flour, or spelt or gluten-free all purpose-flour
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 1/2 cups raw caster sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

wet

• 1 cup good tasting olive oil
• 1 2/3 cups almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
• 1/3 cup fresh brewed strong coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

frosting

• 170 g vegan butter (I use nuttelex buttery)
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• pinch fine sea salt
• 100 g dark vegan chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp fresh brewed coffee, cooled
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

to top

• handful or two rough chopped roasted hazelnuts
• gf vegan sprinkles, optional

Instructions

cake

• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and grease and line the bottom a 27cm x 17cm baking pan with baking paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and whisk until just combined. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until it springs back to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the tin.

frosting

• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or with a hand-held whisk, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. On low speed, slowly add the icing sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated. Add the cocoa powder and salt and beat until combined. Stop the mixer and add in the cooled melted chocolate, coffee and vanilla and beat until super fluffy.
• Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and scatter with hazelnuts and sprinkles if using. Cut into slices and serve.

Happy snack-cakeing!
Bek xx