chocolate cake ~ salted "caramel" frosting

Oh man I am so sorry about the less than stellar photo- I had the best intentions of styling and photographing this cake in a more traditional manner, however time and the day got away from me. This cake was just too good not to share with you. I have made this cake on a few different occasions and it always comes out perfect- a no fail chocolate cake. We all need one of those in our lives.

I made this cake for Thanksgiving and it was a hit- I love fresh fruit as a topping for cake, a little burst freshness never hurts. Use what ever berry or fruit you have in season, pomegranate arils would be great in place of berries. As you can see we had quite the spread of dessert; my sister made a chai pumpkin pie that was pretty amazing and you can never go wrong with coconut whipped cream.

We also made mini versions of this cheesecake and a pear blueberry pie with struesel topping (recipe to come!)

Chocolate Cake ~ Salted "Carmel" Frosting with fresh berries

makes (2) 6" cakes or (1) 8"

you will need:

for the cake

2 1/4 cups Cake Flour

1/2 cup Cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 flax or chia eggs
(1 flax /chia egg = 1 tbsp of flax/chia + 3 tbsp warm water)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup warm water

1cup coconut sugar

for the frosting

4 cups confectioners sugar

4 dates pitted, chopped and soaked in hot water

4 tbsp non dairy milk, divided

2 tbsp vegan shortening

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt

toppings

1 pomegranate- perils removed (about 1 cup)
or
2 cups fresh berries

assembly:
 pre heat oven to 350*
Combine flour through salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix together flax eggs through coconut sugar. Add wet to dry and mix well.  Pour batter into greased pans, tap on the counter. If using the small cake pans it is super helpful to place these on a baking sheet which helps with removing them from the oven.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when tested in the center of each cake. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pan and allow to fully cool on a wire rack.

To make the "caramel" frosting add confectioners sugar and finely chopped dates (hot water removed) along with 2 tbsp of almond milk & vegan shortening. Beat frosting until smooth and creamy adding the additional 2 tbsp of almond milk along with the sea salt about half way through mixing.

Frost the completely cooled cakes, place a layer of frosting between the 2 smaller cakes then frost top and sides. Top with fresh berries or fruit.

Enjoy!