A dense, moist vegan chocolate whiskey cake with hints of spice from cloves and black pepper and the haunting allure of Irish whiskey. It's the grown-up version of chocolate cake, although it is very kid friendly
I have for you today a vegan chocolate whiskey cake that doesn't look all that lovely but tastes simply gorgeous.
I first encountered this recipe in the New York Times Food section and was smitten, but it needed some veganizing, most importantly to replace three eggs and butter.
The final result was stunningly similar, visually, to the Times' cake, and I am pretty certain my vegan version tastes as good.
The whiskey adds great flavor to this cake--it's not as strongly flavored, as, say, a rum cake, perhaps because the chocolate is also such a dominant flavor, but you can definitely taste it.
There's also an unexpected hint of spice from cloves and black pepper. The texture is dense and incredibly moist.
Do try this cake, and let me know what you think. I know I'm going to be making it again and again, Irish Day or not.
Tips for making the best vegan chocolate whiskey cake
- Coffee adds a wonderful flavor to the cake. I used 2 tablespoon of instant coffee mixed with 1 ½ cups water, but you can also brew strong coffee and use 1 ½ cups of that.
- I used aquafaba and tapioca flour to substitute for the eggs, and a bit of baking powder. They give the cake the perfect lightness while still retaining its dense, moist texture.
- Maple syrup is a great flavor alongside the coffee and chocolate. The Times recipe used brown sugar, and more of it. If you want you can sub the maple syrup with brown sugar or regular sugar.
- The batter of this cake is rather fluid compared to regular cake batters, but that's okay. Your cake will firm up nicely in the oven.
- You don't need to frost this cake. All you need is a dusting of powdered sugar.
More vegan cake recipes
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
- Vegan Chocolate Bread
- Vegan Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
Vegan Chocolate Whiskey Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (plus approx 2 tablespoon for dusting the cake pan)
- 12 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon instant coffee (alternatively, skip the coffee and the 1 ½ cups water in the ingredients list and brew 1 ½ cups strong coffee)
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup Irish whiskey
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup maple syrup (can just use more sugar)
- ½ cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a 10-inch springform pan with oil or coat the sides and bottom with butter. Line the bottom with parchment. Spray or coat the parchment paper with oil as well, then dust the pan with 2 tablespoon cocoa flour.
- Whisk together the all purpose flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground black pepper and cloves in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan place the remaining ¾ cup cocoa powder, butter, instant coffee, water, whiskey, sugar and maple syrup. Whisk and set over low heat. Continue whisking until all of the sugar and butter has melted.
- Once the cocoa-butter-coffee mixture has cooled, add to it the aquafaba and the pure vanilla extract. Mix, then pour into the bowl with the flour and other dry ingredients.
- Mix with a spatula or whisk until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. This batter is a bit more liquid that a typical cake batter, but that's how it should be.
- Place the prepared springform pan on a baking sheet, then pour the cake batter into it.
- Place in the oven and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick or skewer in the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a rack and let it cool. Unmold--run a knife along the sides of the cake if necessary. Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve.
Nutrition
Love this vegan Chocolate Whiskey Cake? Check out more vegan dessert recipes on Holy Cow!
Jeanette
Such a good recipe! The cake came out moist, fluffy, and flavorful. I omitted the chocolate chips (just not my thing) and added some orange zest and I loved it. Thank you!
Vaishali
So happy you made the cake, Jeanette! Orange is such a great flavor with chocolate.
Lynn
1 C sugar very high glycemic - any subs you can recommend?
Vaishali
Hi Lynn, You can use maple syrup for a more natural sweetener, although that won't reduce the sugar per se. I haven't tried this with an artificial sweetener, like stevia, so can't advise, but the best option, if concerned about calories and nutrition is to eat in moderation.
Ashley
Can I replace vegan butter with vegetable oil as I have to melt it anyway?
Vaishali
That’s fine.
Tulsi
This vegan cake looks really yummy. I must try it, I think its well goes with black coffee.
Vaishali
Yes, it's actually great with coffee! 🙂
susan
How about substituting coconut oil for vegan butter?
Vaishali
Coconut oil will work fine. It's also a strong flavor, as you know, but it should work here.