Chocolate Raspberry Easter Fudge Cake (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Chocolate Raspberry Easter Fudge Cake is perfect for Easter as it’s rich and chocolatey, packed with raspberries and has a delicious jammy filling and luscious buttercream. This cake is naturally egg-free, vegan and easily gluten-free.
I love making Easter cakes and treats and this year, to celebrate the Divine Chocolate Flat Eggs (which are so thick and delicious) I have created this showstopper crowd-pleasing cake everyone will love. It’s super rich and chocolatey but made with more wholesome ingredients and is naturally egg-free, dairy-free, vegan and easily gluten-free, so it’s ideal for those with allergies. Plus it’s a real wow-factor cake that’s much easier to make thank you think.
Why will I love this cake?
This cake is a real showstopper:
- Rich and chocolatey
- Fruity and naturally sweet
- Made with more wholesome ingredients
- Three layers or chocolate fudge cake
- Filled with luscious buttercream and a jammy middle
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Ideal for family and friends
- Delicious for Easter and all year long
- Naturally vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free
- Easily gluten-free
- Can be made in advance
- Top this whatever chocolate you have leftover
If you already love the sound of this cake, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The ingredients are listed with weights in the recipe card and you can see my favourites in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the cake sponges:
- Raspberries: mash these up to swirl into the cake batters just before baking. Fresh is best here.
- Plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar: this mix curdles to create a buttermilk which binds this egg-free batter.
- Sugar: I use light brown and white caster sugar here to keep this cake simple and delicious. You can use coconut sugar, also, or swap the light brown sugar for caster sugar. I do recommend the mix of light brown and white sugar, if you can, for flavour.
- Thick coconut yoghurt: this creates a lovely soft and fudgy sponge cake and make sure it is thick like Cocos Organic natural or vanilla yoghurt.
- Light olive oil: this adds moisture and fat. You can use other liquid oils like sunflower or avocado oil, too.
- Self-raising flour: to keep the cake light and fluffy. If using gluten-free flour, make sure it’s a gluten-free blend with xanthan gum, or add ½ tsp of your own to the flour.
- Cocoa powder: this makes the sponges really chocolate and rich. I prefer cocoa over cacao powder here, as it’s more acidic and creates a better rise and texture.
- Raising agents and salt: for the rise and flavour.
For the frosting and filling:
- Vegan butter: allow the butter to sit at room temperature for an hour or so, to soften, to make for the best buttercream texture.
- Icing sugar: for the classic buttercream.
- Cocoa powder: to make this rich and chocolatey.
- Raspberry jam: for a gooey jammy middle. You can use homemade or shop-bought jam.
And to decorate, I like to add some shards of chocolate Easter egg, raspberries and crushed pistachios.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
To make this cake gluten-free, make sure you use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (or add ½ tsp of your own to the mix) and check other ingredients. To keep this nut-free, skip the pistachios on top and check all of your ingredients like milk, butter and chocolate.
How do I make this?
This cake is ready in a few steps:
- Mash the raspberries: for the swirls and leave to one side.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients for the cake: until combined.
- Sift in the dry ingredients: and whisk until smooth.
- Divide between the three cake tins: and smooth over the tops.
- Spoon and swirl through the mashed raspberries: and bake for 30 minutes or until well-risen, smelling amazing and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool fully: first in the tins and then on a wire rack.
- Beat the butter for the frosting: until smooth.
- Gradually add the other frosting ingredients: and beat until fluffy.
- Place one cake on a plate: and top with 1/3 of the frosting.
- Top with some jam, the second cake, more frosting: and more jam.
- Top with the final cake and frosting: and decorate with chocolate and berries.
How long will this cake last?
This cake will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in sealed container, but best eaten at room temperature. You can make the sponge cakes ahead of time and freeze them, wrapped well, for 1 month and allow to defrost before decorating.
What else can I make?
For more Easter ideas and inspiration:
- Vegan Carrot Cake with Orange Buttercream
- Chocolate Banana Easter Speckle Cake
- Mini Egg Peanut Butter Flourless Brownies
- Giant Chocolate Crispy Cake
- Chocolate Caramel Mini Egg Slices
Chocolate Raspberry Easter Fudge Cake (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Chocolate Raspberry Easter Fudge Cake is perfect for Easter as it’s rich and chocolatey, packed with raspberries and has a delicious jammy filling and luscious buttercream. This cake is naturally egg-free, vegan and easily gluten-free.
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
- 60g raspberries, mashed
- 360ml plant-based milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 100g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 90g thick coconut yoghurt
- 120ml light olive oil
- 300g self-raising flour
- 60g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
For the Buttercream and Filling:
- 120g vegan butter, softened
- 300g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 1-2 tbsp plant-based milk
- 2 large tbsp raspberry jam
For Decoration:
- Dark chocolate Easter egg, broken up
- Fresh raspberries
- Crushed pistachios, optional
Instructions
- Line and grease 3 x 6-inch round cake tins and preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC.
- Mash the raspberries with a fork and leave to one side. In a small bowl, stir the milk and vinegar together and leave for 5 minutes to curdle.
- For the batter: into a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk mix, both sugars, coconut yoghurt, and olive oil until combined. Now sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and add the salt. Whisk to a thick, smooth batter.
- Divide the batter equally between the tins and smooth over the tops. Spoon over the mashed raspberries and gently swirl through.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until well-risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then lift out the tins to cool fully. If needed, now slice off the domed tops so that the cakes are flat. Chill the cakes in the fridge until needed (this helps when decorating).
- For the buttercream: beat the butter in a freestanding electric or handheld mixer until soft and gradually add in the icing sugar, cocoa powder and milk. Once fully incorporated, beat again for 1-2 minutes until really fluffy.
- To decorate: place one cake on a plate and top with 1/3 of the buttercream and smooth out. Spoon some jam in the centre and top with the second sponge, more buttercream and the rest of the jam. Top with the third cake and the final 1/3 buttercream and spread out. Decorate with shards of Easter egg, some fresh raspberries and crushed pistachios.
- Slice and serve straight away or keep the cake covered and in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can freeze the sponges for 1 month, wrapped well, and allow to defrost before decorating and filling.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Chocolate Raspberry Easter Fudge Cake so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this loaf, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With fudge cake love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Divine Chocolate but all opinions are my own and this blog post is not sponsored.
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