Delicious Egg-Free Chocolate Cake (with vegan option)

Super easy & Passing the Teenager taste test!

Having two children who are both allergic to egg has meant many years of avoiding cakes and desserts. If I had a pound for every time I have had to ask ‘does your ice cream have egg in it?’ I really would be very wealthy by now! Birthdays haven’t really been the time for celebration cakes and they have got used to having a chocolate flapjack or chocolate cornflake cakes as a birthday sweet treat!

So during 2020 with the various Covid lockdowns, we were on a mission to find and perfect an egg free cake that got the thumbs up from both of my teenagers. This recipe has now proved a firm favourite and both of them offer to make it regularly which is testament to how tasty it is, usually it lasts 24 hours at best in our household! As you may expect though, I am the one left doing the washing up and clearing up the mess they’ve inevitably made.

Just follow the recipe and simple instructions below and enjoy the delicious results, but a warning….it probably won’t sit around for long. My husband genuinely said he thought it tasted fantastic and wouldn’t have known it didn’t have any egg in it.

If you prefer to bake a tasty vegan cake then I provide details of the alternative ingredients below the non vegan ingredients.

Ingredients

For the cake mixture:

300ml milk- we use unsweetened soya milk which tastes really creamy

300g self raising flour

200g golden caster sugar

150g butter

3tbsp cocoa powder

1tbsp cider vinegar

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream icing:

50g milk chocolate

100g butter

200g icing sugar sifted

2tbsp cocoa powder

1tbsp milk (again we like soya milk for creaminess)

For decorating the cake:

Anything you like! We have used mini chocolate eggs, but you can use any type of sweet, chocolate or fresh fruit

For a vegan option:

Use dairy free milk, vegan chocolate and dairy free spread instead of butter

Step one

Preheat your oven to 190c/170c fan/Gas mark 5

Grease with a little butter and line two sandwich tins - each 20cm diameter- with greaseproof paper

Step two

Put the self raising flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl.

In a jug, add the cider vinegar to the milk- it will split and look a bit odd but don’t worry that’s normal!

Pour the milk mixture over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and beat well with an electric whisk. Don’t put all the milk in at first as you can then add more as you whisk.

Step three

Divide the cake mixture between the two sandwich tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Check they are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake mixture - if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.

Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step Four 

Make the buttercream icing by melting the chocolate in the microwave- stir every 30 seconds until melted and then leave to cool.

Mix the butter and icing sugar together with a fork initially then a wooden spoon. Sift in the cocoa powder and pour in the melted chocolate and the milk. Mix all of the ingredients until smooth.

Step Five

Spread half of the buttercream icing on one of the cakes and place the other cake on top.

Then spread or pipe the remainder of the icing on top of the cake and decorate with the mini eggs or your own choice of decoration.

Step Six

All you need to do now is sit down with your favourite cuppa, cut a large piece of cake and enjoy!