Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Mocha Frosting

Cake time! This past weekend I celebrated my birthday, and what birthday is complete with out cake? Honestly, I think everyday deserves cake but that’s just one person opinion. If you like chocolate, and coffee, look no further. Mama has you covered!

Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Mocha Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 c. Sugar
2 c. Four
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 c. Coconut Oil
1 1/4 c. Almond Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 c. Toasted Hazelnuts

Frosting:
2 containers of Vegan Cream Cheese
1 1/2 c. Confectioner’s Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
4 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
3 tbsp. Coffee
1/4 c. Almond Milk
Pinch of Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grind the toasted hazelnuts until the nuts become fine.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients for the cake (flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder). Melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil and allow it to cool. Once the coconut is cooled, but still liquid, add 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir together. Slowly add 1 1/2 cup almond milk to the batter (If the batter seems to thick, add a little more milk). Lastly, Stir in 1 cup of the hazelnuts. Set side the remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts for decorating.

Bake the cake in a round 8 inch baking pan for about 45 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. Once the cake has baked, remove it from the pan and allow it to cool. Make sure to allow the cake to cool completely before frosting it.

While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, whip together vegan cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla, almond milk, and salt. With a hand mixer, whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy.

Cut the cake into 4 layers. Place the bottom layer on a cake stand and frost. Continue to layer the cake until all 4 layers are stacked. Dirty frost the cake and place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the fridge and frost the cake one more time. Use the remaining hazelnuts to dress the sides of the cake.

Wether it’s your birthday or just another day in the neighborhood, this cake is a great idea!