Chocolate Coffee Cake | Recipe

To make the cake preheat your oven to 180 °C and line two 9-inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.

In a bowl, combine the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan 'buttermilk'.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cacao powder, coffee powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix well to combine.

Add the coconut oil and vanilla to the 'buttermilk' and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.

Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for round about 30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.

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 frosting cream the butter on high in a bowl or stand mixer. Then add in icing sugar, vanilla extract, coffee and cocoa powder. Add dairy-free milk if needed.

Level off your cakes (if needed) with a sharp knife.

Layer the cakes with equal amounts of buttercream. Make sure on the top layer to turn the cake upside down for a flat top.

Crumb coat the whole cake with the coffee buttercream then patch on some of the left over latte buttercream for a rustic effect. Pop into the fridge for an hour to chill.

Once the frosting is firm, decorate the cake with some extra frosting in a piping bag. Then add some stars around the top of the cake, a drizzle of melted chocolate, a dusting of cocoa and some grated chocolate and coffee beans.