This is one of my favorite ways to make chocolate cake. It’s moist, rich, and incredibly chocolate-forward. And incidentally vegan to boot. To quote Nigella Lawson, whose recipe I have liberally adapted here, “No need to offer explanations; you just need to offer the cake.”

The coconut butter the original recipe calls for initially tripped me up a bit. If I were braver, perhaps I’d email the woman herself and ask for clarification. In the meantime, I’ve come to understand “coconut butter” as vegan butter substitutes made with coconut oil.

From a more scientific perspective, the real requirement here is using a saturated fat. Butter is one, though that’s obviously not vegan. Coconut oil is another. I suspect this would also work with cocoa butter.

On a molecular level, the fact more acid chains are full loaded with hydrogen atoms means that the chains on the acids will tangle more easily. Thus: these fats are more viscous and solidify at room temperature.

For this current draft I’m translating the recipe directly with my notes. I’ll admit that while I harbor ambitions of doing the full-on recipe, I have yet to drum up the energy to festoon the cake with rose petals and pistachios. The inviting smooth gloss of the icing is enticing enough for me.

Ingredients

For the icing

  • 60 g cold water
  • 75 g coconut butter
  • 50 g soft brown sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
  • 20 g cocoa powder
  • 150 g dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa solids), as buttons or finely chopped

For the cake

  • 225 g all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 g salt
  • 1.5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
  • 75 g cocoa powder
  • 300 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 375 g hot (ca 90 °C) water
  • 75 g coconut oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • Edible rose petals
  • Roughly chopped pistachios

Method

For the icing, combine the water, butter, sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and whisk the ingredients together until combined and smooth. Then remove the pan from the heat and quickly whisk in the chocolate until the icing is smooth and glossy.

Set the frosting aside to cool. It should be viscous enough to flow freely, but not completely liquid.

Preheat an oven to 350 °F (180 °C).

Line a 20 cm (8") cake tin with a parchment round.

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk them together to remove any lumps and make the mixture uniform.

In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, water, coconut oil, and vinegar. The heat from the water should be sufficient to melt the coconut oil.

Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir again until smooth and well-combined.

Slide the cake tin into the preheated oven and bake it for 30-40 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean, though the cake is very moist.

When it’s finished baking, let the cake cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack.

After letting the cake cool to room temperature, pour the icing on top and use an offset spatula to ensure even coverage.

Finish the cake with the rose petals and pistachios.