Sometimes you simply need to put on a fancy little outfit and gather your friends for a picnic in a local nature area. It’s a wonderful way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon. Grab yourself some wine, some fresh strawberries, and some cake. You’ll find yourself living a day straight out of Pride and Prejudice. What better cake to make for the event than this Decadent Vegan Chocolate Loaf with Fresh Cherry Compote. It literally screams fancy picnic cake. After consuming all that cake and wine, you’ll be able to lazily lay down in the sun for a nice warm nap. The perfect day…
This cake requires non-dairy buttermilk. If you can find non-dairy buttermilk in the store, then absolutely feel free to use that. However, I normally make my own by adding 3/4 cup of non-dairy milk with 2 1/4 tsp of vinegar or lemon and letting it sit for 5 minutes. I normally use oat milk like Califia Farms or Chobani, but you can use any non-diary milk of your choice.
For the non-dairy margarine, I like to use Earth Balance which comes in vegan and soy-free. For the non-dairy chocolate chips, I love Enjoy Life mini chips.
This Decadent Vegan Chocolate Loaf with Fresh Cranberry Compote was absolutely breathtaking. Excuse me while I go plan my fairy garden picnic to eat this cake in. I hope this cake delights you as it delighted me. Please let me know what other baked goods you take on hikes and picnics. I need some more picnic ideas since the weather is so nice. Also, if you want another cake recipe to vary your picnic snacks, try this Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake. Trust me, it’s divine. As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe and I’ll see you next week 
Decadent Vegan Chocolate Loaf with Fresh Cherry Compote
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Loaf
- ¾ c non-dairy buttermilk
- ¼ c orange juice
- 1 tbsp. grated orange zest
- ¼ c canola oil
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ c granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. espresso
- ¼ c non-dairy margarine, melted and cooled
- ⅓ c non-dairy chocolate chips
Fresh Cherry Compote
- 3 c fresh cherries
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. grated orange zest
- ¼ c orange juice
- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Line pan with parchment paper leaving excess over the sides of the pan.
- Make the buttermilk by adding 2¼ tsp. vinegar or lemon juice to non-dairy milk. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the non-dairy buttermilk, orange juice, orange zest. Add the oil, applesauce and granulated sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in the vanilla.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt. Add cocoa powder and espresso powder and mix. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Add in the melted non-dairy margarine and mix. The batter will be thick. Stir in the non-dairy chocoalte chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- While the chocolate loaf in cooking, use a cherry pitter to remove the pits and slice them in half. Place in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, oragne zest, orange juice and vinegar.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The loaf should be firm and insert a knife or toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Make the cherry compote. Wash the cherries. Add cherries, sugar and orange juice in a medium pot. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until cherries are wilted. Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and heat the liquid for 2-3 more minutes until reduced in half and it thickens. Stir in orange zest and balsamic vinegar, Let cool. Compote can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
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