Chocolate ganache reindeer cake

Vegan.

Happy Christmas Eve!

One of Santa’s reindeer has escaped from the sleigh!

3 layers of rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream. gold antlers and fondant details.

This cake is easy to make and is absolutely delicious!

Preparation- 30 minutes

Baking time- 28-30 minutes

Serves- Approximately 10-12

Level- Medium

…

Ingredients for the cake

-480ml of dairy-free milk

-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

-420g of self-raising flour

-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

-470g of golden caster sugar

-1 teaspoon of baking powder

-1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

-120g of coconut oil (melted)

Ingredients for the buttercream

-210g of dairy-free butter

-500g of icing sugar

-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

-Dairy-free milk (if needed)

Extras

–Chocolate ganache

-Fondant

-100g of dairy-free chocolate

-Edible gold paint

…

To make the cakes

Step 1- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c and line three 6 inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.

Step 2- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.

Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.

Step 3- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.

Step 4- Add the melted coconut oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.

Step 5- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.

Step 6- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins.

Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.

Step 7- Pop the cakes into the center of the preheated oven and bake for around 28-30 minutes. You will know they are baked when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.

Step 8- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.

Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

To make the buttercream

Step 1- In a bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder.

Whip together until combined, light and fluffy.

Add a splash of dairy-free milk if too thick.

Step 2- Make a batch of chocolate ganache.

Step 3- Stack and fill the cakes with the chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.

Step 4- Crumb coat the whole cake with the ganache and pop into the fridge to set.

This will take around 1 hour.

Step 5- Add a thick layer of buttercream all over the cake and using a smooth or textured cake scraper or large spatula, smooth out the buttercream.

Step 6- Using different piping tips, add different patterns around the cake. This creates a knitted effect.

Click here for a great tutorial.

Decorate the cake with two strips of white fondant for the eyes, which i painted with edible gold paint and a large red fondant ball for the nose (as seen in the photos).

To make the antlers, I melted and tempered some dairy-free chocolate and piped them onto greaseproof paper. Allow them to set then paint with edible gold.

Serve fresh or store in a sealed container in the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature.

Best eaten within a few days!

PIN ME