3 Layer Maple Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Directions

 Maple Syrup Cake:

1. Lightly grease three 6″ cake pans (or glass pyrex dishes).
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Whisk almond milk and vinegar together and let sit for five minutes.
4. In another bowl (or kitchen aide basin) add oil, maple syrup, applesauce and mix well.
5. Sift dry ingredients into large bowl and mix to incorporate and until no lumps remain. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients (in kitchen aide basin). Mix to combine.
6. Divide the batter between your three cake pans and you may have enough batter left over to make 2 cupcakes or doughnuts.
7. Place pans in the oven to bake for 35-45 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven or the size of cake pans. Keep an eye on them and take them out when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool your cake layers upside down to help flatten the tops out. This will help to make your final cake more symmetrical, balanced, and easier to assemble.
9. Let cake cool completely before icing with frosting (They can be placed in the freezer for a about 15 minute for speedier cooling).

 Chocolate Almond Butter Frosting:

1. Add all frosting ingredients except for the almond milk in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until ingredients are incorporated, scraping down sides if necessary.
2. Slowly add non-dairy milk, as needed, a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. You want frosting to be spreadable (a Nutelle consistency).
3. Place frosting in refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool and firm up.
4. Now you are read to frost your cake.

Cake Assembly:  

1. Spread a tablespoon of frosting onto the plate or cake stand before putting down the first cake layer. This will prevent the cake from sliding.
2. Place the first cake layer on top of the frosting right-side up so that the flat bottom sits on the stand (if your cake layers are not flat you can cut off the cake tops).
3. Using a spatula put a big dollop of frosting on the side and smooth around cake and across the top of the bottom layer.
4. Place the second cake layer on top and press gently to make sure it sticks. Take a step back and check that it is level and centered.
5. Put a big dollop of frosting on the center of the cake and, using the offset spatula, spread it to the edges. If you get crumbs in the frosting, simply scrape the dirty frosting off your spatula into a separate bowl. (Be generous when you start to frost. You can always scrape some off if you end up with too much, but if you start with too little, you risk pulling crumbs from the cake into the frosting).
6. Carefully frost the cake around the sides and on the top.
7. Add the third layer. Frost around the sides and the top.
8. Once the cake is frosted, you can top the cake with blueberries or coconut or anything else you like.
9. Cake is best when it has sat in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours to cool and solidify.
10. Enjoy with a tall glass of cold almond milk or with cashew-coconut ice cream.