Chocolate Cake with Red Wine–Soaked Figs and Vegan Buttercream

Makes one 6-inch cake

I MADE THIS CAKE for a wedding, and guests said it was the best food there. The idea for the unusual combination of flavors came to my mind one evening when I was sharing an amazing bottle of Brunello Italian wine with friends, along with some figs and chocolate. The flavor of the three together was incredible and I thought, “Well, that should be a cake!” I had never tried to add wine to a dessert before, but why not? The cake is rich and decadent without being too heavy, and the vegan buttercream gives it an extra lightness that transforms the dessert into something other-worldly. Nobody would ever guess it is gluten free and vegan.

5 fresh figs

½ cup good red wine

1 tablespoon palm shortening, nondairy butter (such as Earth Balance), or coconut oil, for greasing the pans

2½ cups Jennifer’s Way Bakery All-Purpose Flour (purchased or here)

1½ cups organic unsweetened cocoa powder

2½ teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract)

Pinch of espresso powder

2 teaspoons Himalayan salt

1 very ripe banana

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1½ cups rice milk, coconut milk, or any other additive-free, unsweetened nondairy milk

1 cup maple sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, or evaporated cane juice

1 cup real maple syrup

⅔ cup olive oil

⅓ cup warm water

¼ cup melted chocolate (melt any nondairy naturally sweetened chocolate you like in the microwave, stirring after every 15 seconds so it doesn’t burn)

Vegan Buttercream (recipe follows)

TO DECORATE

3 tablespoons dairy-free, naturally sweetened chocolate chips

1 tablespoon nondairy butter (such as Earth Balance) or palm shortening

2 or 3 whole fresh figs

The night before, soak the figs in the red wine in the refrigerator. Be sure they soak for at least 5 hours, or up to 12. Before making the cake, drain the figs and cut them into ½-inch slices. Discard any remaining wine.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-inch cake pans pan with the shortening.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, espresso, and salt and whisk out any lumps.

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the banana, applesauce, milk, sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing on low speed as you go. Add the warm water and mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix again. Fold in the sliced drained figs.

Pour the batter into the pans, dividing it evenly, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Once totally cool, put one layer on a plate and cover with buttercream. Top with the second layer and frost the top and sides.

To decorate with chocolate-covered figs, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl in the microwave, stirring after every 15 seconds until smooth. Dip the whole figs in the chocolate, fully or halfway, and put them on parchment paper to cool and harden. Place them on top of the cake.

vegan buttercream

Makes about 1½ cups buttercream

USE TO FROST the Chocolate Cake with Red Wine–Soaked Figs here or the Carrot Cake here. You can also double the recipe to frost any larger cake, and it’s good on cupcakes.

1 cup palm shortening

¾ cup Homemade Powdered Sugar (here)

2 tablespoons rice milk, coconut milk, or any other additive-free, unsweetened nondairy milk

½ teaspoon ground vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer on high speed until fluffy (you could also do this in a stand mixer). The buttercream will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Note: This is a very small cake, baked in a 6-inch pan. The good thing about a very small cake is that you can’t really overeat it.