the chocolate trifle - guest post from vegan fling!

for some of you this may be your second time reading this amazing post, it was so amazing that I just had to post it twice (not because I had a totally brain fart and accidentally posted this on Wednesday instead of today, the official unveiling). So let me introduce you to a sweet friend of mine, Melissa from Vegan Fling. Not only is Melissa the epitome of sweetness, her blog is too.  you may have read already how much I adore Melissa and her Blog on my guest post over at Vegan Fling, I know you will adore her just as much as I do.

Hi Sunday Morning Banana Pancake fans! Thank you so much for having me over today. I am very excited to be doing a guest post for Heather. I can't tell you how much her blog inspires me with such creative recipes and beautiful photographs. I can only dream to someday own as many colorful napkins and fun dishes as she has! When we decided to swap guest posts, I knew right away that I wanted to make a cake. Heather is the queen of cake recipes and always comes up with such lovely and tasty combinations here on her blog. Usually I'd go for some cookies myself, but for this occasion I thought it would be fun to finally do something I have been wanting to do for a long time – create a vegan version of my most favorite cake ever: The Chocolate Trifle! For every birthday and holiday growing up, I would request or make this cake. Messy and gooey layers of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream are the ingredients for happiness in my book. We used to make this with box mixes, but I think that this vegan, from-scratch version is even more delicious!

Chocolate Trifle Cake

Step 1: Make the chocolate pudding and place it in the fridge to chill.

Step 2: Make the cake layers.

Step 3: While cake is cooling, make the whipped cream.

Step 4: In a trifle dish start with a layer of crumbled cake, then a layer of the pudding, then a layer of the whipped cream.

Repeat this sequence as many times as your dish will allow.

End with whipped cream on top, then finish off with a little more of the cake crumbles and some vegan chocolate sprinkles.

You could also try chocolate chips or nuts.

Chill until ready to serve.

Chocolate Cake Layer

makes two 8" round cakes

3 C spelt flour

2/3 C cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 C sugar

1 C canola oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 C almond milk

1 C vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease and flour two 8" cake pans.

Combine the almond milk and vinegar and let sit for 2 minutes to allow it to curdle. Mix in the oil, sugar, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter into the two cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool and then crumble it up with your hands to create the cake layers of the trifle.

Pudding Layer

4 C almond milk

6 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 C organic cornstarch

1 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk smooth and break up any lumps.

Stir constantly over medium heat until the pudding thickens.

Pour into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator (At least 20-30 minutes).

Whip Layer

2 cans full fat coconut milk

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Place the coconut milk cans in the fridge overnight. (Sorry - this recipe does require a little planning ahead!)

Carefully open the cans without shaking them. Spoon out the top layer of white creamy stuff into a bowl.

Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well with an electric beater.

If needed add in more powdered sugar or even some cornstarch to thicken.

In the trifle dish this cake is so pretty with it's dark and light layers. When you scoop it out into a bowl it's not so pretty anymore...but I think that is half the fun!
Maybe that is why I loved it so much as a kid (and now). You are actually supposed to make a mess!

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe and thanks for having me over to Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes for the day!