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cake

Mulled Apple Cider Cake with Penuche Frosting (DF)

October 11, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

It’s apple season! And also one of my favorite seasons for indulging in all things sweet. The air is cooling and all of the upcoming holidays just have me feeling extra happy and eager. I’ve been dying to use apple cider in something for a couple of weeks now, and a simple sheet cake (loaded with frosting!) was a no-brainer. I love cake. And since I’m dairy-free I rarely get to indulge in it. Growing up, my grandma would make layered caked with penuche frosting. I didn’t know what exactly it was at the time, I just knew it was delicious and that she would have a plate of the leftovers waiting in the refrigerator for my mom (and me!) to snack on. Yes, I ate a lot of sugar growing up. Penuche frosting is made with brown sugar, so it’s super sweet with its own distinct (and totally mouth watering) flavor.

I was a bit nervous to make the frosting for the first time as I’d attempted it with coconut sugar before and failed. But it came out perfectly! I used vegan stick butter and almond milk, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. You’ll add all of the ingredients, except the powdered sugar, to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then allow that mixture to cool completely. Then you’ll simply beat in the powdered sugar! It’s time consuming since it can take up to 2-3 hours for the mixture to totally cool, but it’s a pretty simple, fail-proof recipe. The cake itself is easy. You don’t have to use mulled apple cider, but you’ll need to reduce the cider for around 20-30 minutes anyway so why not add in a cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon) and a few orange slices? The result is a spicy, more flavorful apple cider. Then you’ll add lots of spice into the batter for extra fall flavor. For this, feel free to adjust the spices to your liking!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Whole wheat pastry flour adds fluff to this cake. This flour is a staple in my pantry for baking cakes and quick breads. I love it, and I highly recommend it for this recipe! You can use all-purpose flour in its place, but I promise the WWPF really makes a difference in the cakes texture.

Coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener. It’s unrefined, low GI, and doesn’t taste like coconut. Plus, it tastes less sweet than regular white sugar, which helps balance the sweetness of the penuche frosting.

Mulled apple cider is a delicious and spicy warm cider that bring in lots of fall flavor to this cake. Feel free to reduce your apple cider without the added spice/orange.

Applesauce brings moisture and sweetness to this cake! Plus, it goes along with the apple theme, so I felt it was perfect.

Light brown sugar is necessary for the traditional penuche frosting. The molasses taste adds a unique flavor to the frosting. I don’t recommend any substitutes as I’ve tried coconut sugar in the past with no luck.

Yield: 18 Slices

Mulled Apple Cider Cake with Penuche Frosting

Mulled Apple Cider Cake with Penuche Frosting

A soft spice cake made with mulled apple cider and applesauce! Topped with a decadent, dairy-free brown sugar frosting, this sheet cake is the perfect fall and holiday dessert!

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Cider Cake

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider, reduced
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 1/2 an orange, sliced (optional)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temp (or 3 flax eggs)
  • Heaping 1 cup applesauce

Penuche Frosting

  • 3/4 cup vegan butter (or butter)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Add the apple cider, cinnamon stick, and sliced orange to a small pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer until liquid reduces to a 1/2 cup. This can take up to 30 minutes. Once reduced, set aside to cool and remove cinnamon stick and orange slices. This is also a good time to bring your eggs to room temperature - place them in a glass of warm water until you're ready to make the cake batter.
  2. While the mulled apple cider is cooling, preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13" cake pan with non-stick spray and (optional) line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, beat together the mulled apple cider, coconut sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, and applesauce until combined. Beat in the dry ingredients until batter is smooth - about 1 minute.
  5. Bake cake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs. To frost the cake out of the pan (like I did) allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes. Then invert it onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and invert the cake onto another cooling rack so it's right side up. OR allow cake to cool completely in the pan.
  6. While your cake is cooling, start the frosting. Add the vegan butter, brown sugar, and almond milk to a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a full boil then immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl to cool completely - the cooling process can take up to a couple of hours.
  7. Once your cake and brown sugar mixture have totally cooled, add 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar to the brown sugar mixture. Beat with a whisk attachment until smooth. Add powdered sugar by the 1/4 cup until you've reached a thick, smooth, spreadable consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a little plant-based milk 1 tsp at a time.
  8. Frost your cake with an icing spatula, swirling it around the cake. The frosting may shift a bit on the cake, but it'll will eventually set up.
  9. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.

Notes

  • A neutral oil is one with a light taste, like extra light olive oil, refined coconut oil, or avocado oil. For this recipe, I used extra light olive oil.
  • For the penuche frosting, your brown sugar mixture must be completely cool in order for the frosting to turn out. This took a couple of hours for me, so it's important to start your frosting while your cake is cooling!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Olive Oil Cooking Spray
    Olive Oil Cooking Spray
  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
    KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • Icing Spatula, 13-Inch
    Icing Spatula, 13-Inch
© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Other cake recipes you might like:

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting (DF)
Spiced Zucchini Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting (DF)
Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake

Filed Under: Cake, Dairy-free, Vegan Tagged With: apple cake, apple cider, brown sugar frosting, cake, dairy-free, fall baking, fall dessert, holiday dessert, penuche, sheet cake, snack cake, spice cake, vegan

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting (DF)

October 1, 2019 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

I’m an absolute sucker for good cake. I grew up eating cakes made from a box, which is probably why I have such an affinity for soft, fluffy cakes with thick, sweet-as-can-be American buttercream. Anyone else usually disappointed in the professional cakes found at weddings? (Maybe I’m the odd woman out here.) Well, this cake is everything I love about cake. Fluffy, moist and topped with a decadent buttercream made with lots of dark cocoa powder, which helps even out the sweetness of the powdered sugar. And it’s easy!

I was always intimidated by homemade cakes. Even confused. Why would one go to all that trouble? Enter: the sheet cake. No more difficult than a batch of cookies, in my opinion. You beat the wet ingredients, whisk the dry ingredients, mix them all together, and, once baked and cooled, top it off with a super simple vegan (or non-vegan) buttercream! And the results? They’ll blow you and everyone who eats a slice away!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Whole wheat pastry flour brings all the delicious fluff to this cake! If you like your cake fluffy, then you don’t want to skip out on this flour! Plus, you’ll definitely want to use it in the future to make fluffy muffins or quick bread loaves.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar that won’t spike our blood sugar the same way that a higher GI sugar (like white sugar, honey, or maple syrup) will. And it doesn’t taste a thing like coconut.

Instant coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor of the cake, and you won’t taste the coffee!

Applesauce helps sweeten this cake and lends a hand to its moistness.

Vegetable shortening adds structure to the vegan buttercream. You can use more vegan butter in its place, but I highly recommend the shortening!

Dutch process cocoa powder gives the frosting a deeper, richer flavor and darker color.

Yield: 15 Slices

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting

A fluffy and moist Chocolate Cake topped with a decadent, dairy-free Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, warm
  • 1 heaping tsp instant coffee granules
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil (avocado, extra light olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 heaping cup unsweetened applesauce

Dark Chocolate Frosting

  • 3/4 cup vegan butter (stick form), softened
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (or more vegan butter)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ~5 tsp plant-based milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x13" cake pan with non-stick spray. If you plan to remove the whole cake from the pan to frost and serve (like I did), cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the inside bottom of your cake pan, and place it on top of the non-stick spray.
  2. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift the flours and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt until totally combined.
  4. Mix together the warm almond milk and instant coffee granules. Then, in a large bowl, beat together the coconut sugar, milk/coffee mixture, oil, vanilla, eggs, and applesauce until combined.
  5. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet until batter is well combined, about 1 minute on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on your counter to bring air bubbles to the surface - feel free to use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles that haven't popped on their own.
  6. Bake cake at 350°F for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs. Allow cake to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack. Alternatively, if you'd like to remove the whole baked cake, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place another cooling rack (or baking sheet) on top of the pan and flip the cake over. Your cake should fall right out. Peel off the parchment paper and then use a cooling rack to flip the cake right side up. Allow to cool completely.
  7. Once your cake is totally cool, make your frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened vegan butter and vegetable shortening until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Sift in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and then beat until combined. Beat in milk 1 tsp at a time until you've got a creamy, spreadable buttercream.
  8. Scoop all of the frosting onto the top of your cooled cake. Use a spatula to spread evenly over the surface, creating deep swirls. Top with your favorite sprinkles, shaved chocolate, or coconut flakes!
  9. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

A neutral oil is any oil with a neutral taste. These include oils such as avocado, extra light olive oil, and refined coconut oil.

For the dark chocolate frosting, you will need a dutch process cocoa powder - check next to the natural cocoa powder (most widely available) in the baking aisle.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Icing Spatula, 13-Inch
    Icing Spatula, 13-Inch
  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
    KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
    Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 344mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 6g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Other chocolate recipes you might like:

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts
Banana Chocolate Cake (DF)
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread (DF)
Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies (DF)

Filed Under: Cake, Dairy-free Tagged With: cake, chocolate cake, chocolate dessert, chocolate frosting, dairy-free, sheet cake, snack cake

Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake

August 31, 2018 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

One of my favorite things about baking is how easy it can be to take a recipe I already love and tweak a few things to make it like a brand new recipe. I came up with a dairy-free banana cake recipe a few months ago for my husband’s birthday, so when my mom requested a banana chocolate cake for my dad’s birthday celebration, I knew I had a delicious, fluffy banana cake that would be perfect with chocolate frosting! I added a bit of cocoa to the cake batter – nothing too rich – to add a little extra chocolate and whipped up a simple american buttercream with a bit of cocoa and cinnamon. I hope you like this simple cake as much as we do! Happy baking!

Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake with Vegan Chocolate Cinnamon Buttercream
Makes one 11×8.5″ sheet cake (for cupcakes, see below)

Cake
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour*
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut sugar
6 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk, room temp
6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temp
heaping 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
Sprinkles or crushed cacao nibs for topping
Buttercream
3/4 cup butter or vegan butter, softened**
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2-3 tsp cinnamon, to taste
2-4 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.) Preheat oven to 350℉. Line cake pan with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. Bring your eggs to room temp by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Stir in the mashed banana; set aside.

3.) In a large bowl, sift the flours and cocoa powder. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently stir until no flour pockets remain. Pour batter into cake pan and bake at 350℉ for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

4.) Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and removing to a cooling rack. I like to place the cooling rack over the top of the cake and then (holding the rack with the pan) flip the cake pan over. Your cake should come right out. If you don’t plan to remove your cake from the pan until serving, then just allow your cake to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack.

5.) Once your cake is cool, prepare your buttercream. In a medium bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency – thick/thin enough to spread. Frost your cake and top with sprinkles, crushed cacao nibs, or extra cinnamon. Slice and enjoy! If you used vegan butter, I recommend storing any leftovers in the refrigerator.

*If you don’t have this kind of flour on hand, you can use white whole wheat flour OR all-purpose flour

**If you’re using vegan butter, I highly recommend the Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (I used the soy free). I’ve found that you want the vegan butter to soften but not too much, so I don’t recommend letting it sit out for too long

 

For 12 Cupcakes
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp
heaping 1 cup mashed ripe banana

Follow the mixing steps above, but let your batter sit for 20 minutes. Then fill your paper-lined cupcake pan 3/4 full and bake at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool, frost, and enjoy!

 

 

Filed Under: Cake, Dairy-free Tagged With: banana, buttercream, cake, chocolate, coconut sugar, dairy-free

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Meet Rachael

Hi! I’m Rachael, a home baker who creates dairy-free, indulgent treats. As a sweets lover and former candy addict, I believe we shouldn’t have to give up everything we love in pursuit of wellness. That’s why I create delicious and approachable desserts that you can enjoy, in moderation, no matter your goals! Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a giant slice of frosted cake, sans guilt! Read More…

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