Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Filling and Ganache - Vegan

Surely this is the most divine layered cake I have made yet. I made it for Christmas, but it has been sitting in my draft folder since. I don't eat eggs, so I adapt baked goods to suit my preferences. Moist, sweet, but not overly so, and it is vegan, though you would not know if I didn't tell you. The cake is not too difficult to make either, and the result, well try it and taste.

Cake:

• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups almond milk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 3/4 cups coconut sugar
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:

• 1 cup unsweetened unspiced pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons almond butter

Ganache:

• 7 oz (200 g) fine dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

• Preheat an oven to 350°. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with coconut oil.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until well blended.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk and vinegar until frothy. Whisk in the sugar, oil and vanilla. Now add about a third of this mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spatula or an electric hand mixture on the lowest setting. Repeat, adding the wet ingredients in two more additions until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Remove the cakes from the oven but let sit in the pans until completely cool.
• For the filling, combine the pumpkin purée, cocoa powder, maple syrup and almond butter in a food processor and process until smooth.
• For the ganache, put the chocolate in a medium glass bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk and maple syrup and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat. When it just begins to simmer, pour over the chocolate and stir until melted. Leave to cool at room temperature.
• Now for the assembly. Remove the cakes from the pan. Gently shave off the rounded top of the base cake with a sharp knife. Then spread the filling over top and place the other baked cake on top. Now for the ganache. Pour it over the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. If you want it pretty, as it should be, place on a wire rack over a plate as you drizzle over the ganache.
• Chill for at least an hour and serve. Cover up leftovers for up to 4 days and everyone will be happy.

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