With a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate sponge that tastes like intense dark chocolate, this vegan and gluten free chocolate sponge cake recipe is what you need for layered chocolate cakes, cupcakes, or any chocolate desserts.
The batter is adaptable as you can bake it thick or thin like sponge sheets for layered square cakes like Opera and vegan entremet cakes.
Why This Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Is Better
Instead of using egg substitutes, this recipe uses a vegan buttermilk. Vegan buttermilk is made by adding acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to the oat or rice milk. The acid will slightly thicken the plant milk like regular buttermilk.
The right amount of baking soda and powder will help the cake rise, which is why there are no eggs in the recipe.
Here is why this vegan and gluten free chocolate sponge cake is better than the regular recipe:
- The taste is excellent. It’s moist even without dairy and eggs.
- This recipe is also for anyone who can’t eat nuts, soya and gluten. It’s for everyone!
- The batter is flexible. You can bake it thinly, like a sponge sheet, or as thick as you want.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Plant milk – look for a barista gluten free oat or rice milk. Barista plant milk has more fat content, adding richness to the sponge cake.
- Olive oil – it’s an excellent alternative to vegan butter or margarine. You won’t notice the olive oil taste because of the intense cocoa flavor.
- Cacao powder – use a good quality natural powder for baking.
- Gluten free flour – use any all-purpose flour blend, and make sure it contains at least 2-3 different flour and starches.
- Lemon juice – is added to oat milk for the vegan buttermilk.
- Demerara sugar – is a wholesome sugar with a subtle caramel note that goes well with chocolate.
Substitution Table
| Original Ingredients | Replace With |
|---|---|
| Olive oil | Sunflower or canola oil |
| Lemon juice | Apple cider or any white vinegar |
| Demerara sugar | Brown sugar |
| Navitas Organic cacao powder | Other Organic Cacao powder brand |
Step By Step Instructions
Vegan Buttermilk
- Mix the oat milk and lemon juice. Let set for 10 minutes to curdle or thicken.
Chocolate Batter
- Combine and sieve all the dry ingredients except sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Add the vegan buttermilk and olive oil to dry ingredients, add the sugar, then mix with a hand mixer until the batter is free from lumps.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Pour into a 20 cm (7 in) spring-form cake pan lined with parchment paper, then bake for 55-60 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the middle, and the sponge is ready if it comes out clean.
- Let the sponge cake cool down before cutting.
Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Cake
This vegan and gluten free chocolate sponge cake is super moist and fluffy despite not using eggs, dairy and wheat flour. You can bake it thick or thin like sponge sheets for layered cakes like Opera.Note: Use the unit converter if needed. This recipe is measured by weight (metric) for accuracy.
Equipment
- Digital scale
- Springform baking pan
- silicon spatula
Ingredients
- 420 g all-purpose gluten free flour
- 75 g organic cacao powder Navitas Cacao powder preferred
- 270 g demerara sugar or brown sugar
- 22 g baking powder
- 12 g baking soda
- 140 g olive oil
Vegan Buttermilk
- 600 g oat or rice milk barista gluten free
- 35 g lemon juice or white vinegar
Instructions
- Start by making the Vegan Buttermilk: Mix the oat milk and lemon juice. Let set for 10 minutes to curdle or thicken.
- Combine and sieve all the dry ingredients except sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Add the vegan buttermilk and olive oil to dry ingredients, add the sugar, then mix with a hand mixer until the batter is free from lumps.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Pour into a 20 cm (7 in) spring form cake pan lined with parchment paper, then bake for 55-60 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the middle, and the sponge is ready if it comes out clean.
- Let the sponge cake cool down before cutting.
Video
Notes
- It’s easier to cut the cake when chilled. You may bake the sponge cake in advance and store it in the fridge overnight before cutting.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
