Vegan Snickers Cake

On a sweltering summer day, does anything sound better than cooling off with a vegan ice cream cake in the snickers style? The perfect recipe for individuals who desire vegan cake but don’t want to prepare it is one that is also free of gluten and dairy.

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot water

For the filling:

1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the chocolate ganache:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)

For the caramel sauce:

1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the almond milk, applesauce, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Slowly pour in the hot water while stirring the batter. The batter will be thin, but that’s normal.
Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cakes are baking, prepare the filling by combining the soaked dates, peanut butter, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.
Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the chocolate ganache, heat the almond milk in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
For the caramel sauce, combine the coconut cream, coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns a caramel color.
Assemble the cake by spreading a layer of the date-peanut butter filling on top of one cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining filling on top.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cake and sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour to allow the ganache and caramel to set.