Vegan Eggnog Cake With Hazelnut Base

The approaching Easter holiday brings back a lot of nostalgic thoughts, including hunting for Easter eggs in the garden, seeing parents sip eggnog at the buffet, and eating a tonne of candy. Although we are no longer on an endless hunt for Easter eggs, we are nonetheless glad to cook traditional “Easter recipes”. Of course, this also applies to an eggnog cake in addition to carrot cake, sour cream cake, and yeast plait.

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Hazelnut Base

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
1 cup dates, pitted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the Eggnog Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan eggnog
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Ingredients for the Frosting

1 cup vegan butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegan eggnog
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground nutmeg, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a round cake pan and set it aside.
To make the hazelnut base, place the hazelnuts, dates, cocoa powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes sticky and crumbly.
Press the hazelnut mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared cake pan to form the base. Set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt for the eggnog cake.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegan eggnog, applesauce, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter over the hazelnut base in the cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat the softened vegan butter in a mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, eggnog, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
Once the cake has cooled, frost the top and sides with the prepared eggnog frosting. Sprinkle some ground nutmeg on top for garnish.
Slice the cake and serve.