This dessert was a simple one, but it’s a simple win as well! To hear the phrase “vegan Swiss meringue buttercream” already gets me excited, because meringue buttercreams were one of the reasons why I had to stop baking vegan, as I thought that they were impossible to do! But with the help of aquafaba(canned chickpea water), you can make meringue and it’ll be completely vegan! I wanted the flavors of this cake to be inspired by Oreos, as those are vegan as well, but because I wanted to do something simpler for this cake, as I wasn’t sure if the emulsion between aquafaba and Earth balance vegan butter substitute was a possibility, but alas, it totally was! For the layers, we have a vegan chocolate cake, made super fluffy with seltzer water, a coconut-soy milk ganache, vanilla Swiss “meringue” buttercream, and chocolate-coconut-almond crumble.

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup seltzer water
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine ingredients. Pour onto a lined baking sheet, spread evenly, and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cut out two perfect 6 inch rings. Reserve the rest of the cake to make the crumble out of.

For the crumble:
Reserved cake crumbs
coconut oil
dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup crushed almonds

Break up leftover cake into thumb-sized pieces and mix with your almonds. Toss cake crumbles in melted coconut oil and bake at 350 degrees F for another 10-15 minutes. Chop up dark chocolate chips and toss the still-warm crumble in that. Allow to cool completely.

For the ganache:
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons coconut oil
a pinch of salt

Melt ingredients together and whisk until glossy. Pour into a bowl and keep at room temperature until it is time to assemble.

For the vegan Swiss meringue buttercream:
1 can of chickpeas
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks Earth balance vegan butter substitute, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
a pinch of salt

Strain liquid from the chickpea can into a pot and simmer down by half. Add in your sugar and cool completely. Pour into a mixing bowl and begin whipping into stiff peaks. Mix in your vegan butter substitute until fully emulsified and creamy. Add in salt and vanilla to finish.

Soy latte soak:
1/2 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons instant coffee
a pinch of salt

Bring to a simmer. Cool completely before using.

For assembly:
Line a 6 inch ring mold with parchment or acetate. Place down 1 6-inch ring first. Pour in some of your latte onto the cake, then spread on about 40% of your buttercream, then your crumble, then 50% of your ganache. Repeat these same steps for the other layer. Refrigerate until set and then pipe on the last of your ganache, and garnish with the crumble as well to finish.