This is one of those buttercream recipes that is beautifully adaptable and allows you to use any biscuit you like, be it a plain vanilla one, chocolate sandwich one, or even Biscoff. Any biscuit will work for this, just make sure you adjust the final consistency by adding more or less soy milk.
I believe that the cake you make should be enjoyed in every way, and that is why I encourage you, dear Reader, to experiment and find your favourite combination of flavours. And that is what I love about cakes like this one; my recipe is the baseline idea that works well, and the rest is up to you and your imagination and preferences.
Ingredients
For the fudge chocolate cake layers
240 grams courgettes (zucchini), grated and lightly squeezed dry200 grams plain flour
45 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
180 grams granulated sugar
250 millilitres soy milk
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
75 millilitres neutral oil
2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the vanilla biscuit filling
250 grams vegan block butter, softened100 grams icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50 grams toasted almonds, finely ground
150 grams vegan vanilla biscuits, finely ground
60 millilitres soy milk
Preparation
Start by making the vegan chocolate fudge cake. Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a rectangular cake pan (20x30 cm) with baking parchment, bottom and sides, and set it aside.
Take a large bowl and sift in the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in the sugar and mix very well. Make a well in the centre, pour in all the wet ingredients, and whisk until barely combined. Finally, add in the courgettes, and fold them through until combined. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 30-35 minutes, or until done.
Mine was done after exactly 30 minutes.
As every oven bakes differently, check with a toothpick to make sure it is baked through, but still fudgy. Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely in the pan.
While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream filling. Place the softened vegan block butter into a large bowl, add in the vanilla, and mix with an electric mixer on high for about 2-3 minutes, or until lighter in colour and creamy. Add in the icing sugar, and continue beating the buttercream for a few minutes more. Add in the ground almonds and the fine biscuit crumbs, and mix on the lowest setting until somewhat combined.
At this point, it might look a bit dry or crumbly, but that is fine.
Start adding the soy milk in a thin stream while the mixer is running, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the batter is blended well, the buttercream may look a bit soft, but that is fine. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so.
Once everything is ready, proceed to assemble the cake. Level the cake if needed, slice it in half lengthwise, and then cut each of those parts in half to create four thin, almost square, layers. Weigh the buttercream and divide it into four equal parts by weight. If it seems too thick to spread, which can happen if your biscuits were on the drier side, add a bit more of the soy milk, and blend well.
Place the first cake layer on the serving platter, spread a portion of the filling, add another cake layer, and continue stacking until all the cake is used up. Because the cake is sturdy, use the remaining buttercream to decorate the top and sides. Place everything into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
When you are ready to serve, remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Yields 16 rich servings.
