Vegan Chocolate Cake with Matcha Buttercream

Happy New Year! I’m celebrating the New Year with lots and lots of cake. Surprised?

I whipped up this Vegan Chocolate Cake with Matcha Buttercream because I haven’t made a cake in quite a few months. And when I make I cake, I feel obliged to go all out and layer it with loads of frosting and decorations (in this case: flowers). A cake isn’t something that I whip up everyday, which makes this chocolate matcha cake even that much more special.

I’m pretty obsessed with matcha. I don’t drink coffee, so matcha is my only morning indulgence. Making a matcha buttercream to go along with this chocolate cake seemed like a great way ode to my #1 morning warm beverage ritual. Plus, I love the neon green color that this matcha buttercream creates against the dark chocolate cake. It’s fun and different and makes me want to dig into it immediately.

I have a couple other cake recipes on my blog, like my Great British Bakeoff Chai Ginger Cake which is still one of my most popular recipes ever published to this blog. That was a three layer ginger cake with two layers of chai buttercream slathered in between. This chocolate cake recipe though is only two cake layers with one layer of matcha buttercream in the middle, which takes way less time. Plus, this chocolate cake is only 10 ingredients and takes one bowl to make, so you could literally whip it up pretty much anytime - like right now if you wanted to!

For the matcha buttercream, all you’ll need is powdered sugar, butter, non-dairy milk, and matcha powder. I used Trader Joe’s matcha powder for this, which is a good quality and tastes great both as a tea, and now as a buttercream! If you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, I recommend using a good quality matcha powder. Just regular green tea won’t do. You can find something good at your local Japanese store, or even on Amazon.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 2 cups sugar

• 3/4 c cocoa powder

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 4 flax eggs

• 3/4 c vegetable oil

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups coffee, cooled

Matcha Buttercream

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons matcha powder (I used Trader Joe’s)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly grease two one 8" or 9" round cake pans using non-stick spray.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flax eggs, oil, vanilla, and coffee and mix on medium speed until combined.

4. Next, add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the batter comes together.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

6. Bake the cake until the center feels firm when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - between 35 - 40 minutes depending on the size of your cake pans.

7. Remove the cake from the oven. Allow it to cool completely in the pan, then turn out the cakes onto a rack to cool completely again. Once the cakes are cooled, shave the tops of both with a sharp bread knife so they are flat and of equal height.

8. When you are ready to assemble the cake, whip all of the matcha buttercream ingredients together in the bowl of a clean stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

9. Place one of the cake layers onto a cake stand and frost the top with the matcha buttercream. Place the second cake layer on top, and continue to frost the cake around all sides until it is covered. If you’d like a more ‘naked cake’ look, run your spatula along the sides and top of the cake to remove the excess, allowing the chocolate cake underneath to show through.

Adapted From: King Arthur Flour & Spoon Fork Bacon