This Vegan Chocolate Lilac Cake is rich, fudgy, and decadent. It is gluten-free and simple to make. A chocolate buttercream frosting is sandwiched between 3 layers of a moist chocolate cake.
I can’t believe I am saying (typing 😉 ) this, but the last time I made a recipe with chocolate was back in September. I have no idea how I let that happen.
Chocolate is my go-to flavor for everything and I have at least a piece of dark chocolate every day. When I was a kid, I would always choose chocolate over vanilla or any other flavor cakes. Even for ice cream cakes, chocolate has to be involved and the richer and darker it is the better.
My sister, on the other hand, prefers vanilla or yellow cake over chocolate. In fact, she does NOT like chocolate. I have no idea why she does not have the gene for it. She is the only one in our family that does not like chocolate even if it is milk chocolate.
That didn’t pose a problem for me though growing up with her, as I would always get all the chocolate during Halloween or whenever my mom gets us any candy bars.
That didn’t pose a problem for me though growing up with her, as I would always get all the chocolate during Halloween or whenever my mom gets us any candy bars.
Realizing I haven’t made any chocolat recipes for months, I knew I had to fix it immediately. With lilacs being in season, I decided to make a vegan and gluten-free chocolate cake with lilac syrup. If lilacs are not available where you are, you can leave the lilac syrup out and substitute it with equal amounts of maple syrup.
To enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake, I used cacao powder instead of cocoa powder which is more processed. Cacao powder is less processed and maintains most of the original properties of cacao seed. I also add a little bit of freshly brewed coffee to the batter.
I paired the chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream that is so creamy and chocolatey, that it will leave you craving another slice of the cake immediately. Are you hungry for a slice yet? Let’s start baking!
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