When I feel like my brain is going to explode from uni, working, and ya know, LIFE, I usually bake something, and this was the result of my de-stress baking day. Hazelnut cake with mocha frosting and chocolate ganache! There’s not much cake can’t fix.

[Floral cake combo was inspired by Linda Lomelino‘s amazing work!]

Hazelnut cake (adapted from Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan)
1 ½ cup soy or almond milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 cup sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract (optional)
2 cups spelt flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup hazelnut meal

Whisk together the milk and vinegar and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
Add the oil, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and hazelnut extract and mix well.
Whisk the dry ingredients together, and add the wet mixture and stir together until combined.
Bake in one pan for 20-25 minutes at 180˚C, or divide between two or three pans (which will mean less baking time and makes it easier to layer the cake!). Cool completely before frosting.

Mocha frosting
4 cups icing sugar
½ cup dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Kahlua (or other coffee liquor)
¼ cup brewed coffee
¾ cup vegan butter
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together the margarine and oil until fluffy.
Add the cocoa powder, kahlua, coffee and vanilla. Then gradually add in the icing sugar.
Add a splash of almond milk if you need to thin it out a bit. Beat for a few minutes until it’s nice a fluffy.

I had three layers each with frosting and a layer of ganache in between. Then frosting on the outside, with ganache spread around the sides, which ended up kind of blending in with the frosting, which looked pretty cool, I think!

[Ganache – from the Post Punk Kitchen]