Vegan Chocolate – Rhubarb Cake Recipe

I love rhubarb, I think it’s quite versatile. Mostly I make rhubarb puree with it, which is then great for gin cocktails or adding it as topping to pancakes or milk rice. You can normally get it from March till July so now in April, it’s the best of the season.

As I mentioned before, these days I’m trying to turn everything into a vegan recipe –  normally all I have to do is replace butter and eggs, which is not too difficult, given that I’m quite used to margarine anyway. (It’s a lot common where I came from as it was more widely available and cheaper of course.) Eggs can be tricky but using enough margarine and the combination of fruit and water helps.

This cake should be soft and moist with fluffy texture. Thanks to the bit runnier cake batter (the batter comes out just a little thicker as a cupcake batter for example) – but don’t worry about this. This is why the baking time is longer (40-50 minutes) and to avoid burning, you will need to use reduced temperature: instead of the standard 175-180C cake baking setting, I used 160 Celsius.

The rhubarb gives a lovely, fruity tanginess to the cake which works just perfectly with the sweet warmness of the chocolate. I sprinkled the top of cake with chopped walnuts – because I still have lots at home after last year’s harvest of the big old walnut tree in my parents’ garden. So why not – totally optional but compliments the cake very nicely.

I have also replaced half of the cocoa powder for carob powder – again, totally optional, makes only a little difference in taste, nothing in colour.

When the cake is baked, leave it to cool completely, otherwise it will be a little messy when cutting it up.

Enjoy.

Vegan Chocolate-Rhubarb Cake

Simple and delicious recipe, sweet and chocolatey with a hint of fruity tanginess.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, European

Servings 9 slices

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 350 g plain flour
• 200 g soft brown sugar
• 80 g cocoa powder I used 40g cocoa and 40g carob powder
• 115 g margarine room temperature
• 220 ml water
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 120 g dark chocolate chips I used dark chocolate pieces chopped
• 120 g rhubarb chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• walnut pieces optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 160 Celsius. (This cake needs to bake a little longer on reduced temperature without burning)

  Combine every ingredient in a mixing bowl - except water.
  
• Add the water gradually, to see when the batter gets the right consistency. Batter should be a little firmer than cupcake batter.
  
• Grease the bottom of a square cake pan with some margarine. Add the batter to batter to it.
  
• Sprinkle the top with walnut pieces - this is optional.
  
• Bake it for about 40 minutes - keep checking and don't worry if it cooks too slowly and seems too wet and bubbly for the first part of baking. Ready when it's risen and still moist.
  
• Let it cool before cutting it up. Enjoy.
  

Keyword Chocolate Rhubarb cake

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!