Vegan Chocolate Cake

method:

• Brush the base and sides of a 7” non-stick loose bottomed deep cake tin sparingly with vegetable oil. Cut a circle of baking parchment to line the base of the tin and a longer strip of parchment to line the sides. As this cake is fudgy and moist, you want to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the tin once it’s cooked. Also prepare a foil sling to easily remove the hot cake from the pot. Tear two larger pieces of foil about 60cm, and fold them lengthways to make two thinner strips. Pour two cups of water into the base of the inner bowl and fit the trivet. Place the foil strips across the trivet at diagonals, allowing the foil to run up the sides of the bowl.
• Sieve the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the milk and mix in the cider vinegar - don’t be alarmed if this begins to curdle. Add the sugar and instant coffee and, using a hand whisk, begin to mix together so that the sugar and the coffee both dissolve. Pour in the vegetable oil and whisk for about one minute, until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl, adding in the zest of the orange, and whisk until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface, covering loosely with a circle of foil to prevent any moisture seeping onto the cake. Secure the lid and cook on the Dessert setting, high pressure for 35 minutes.
• Once the time has elapsed, turn the unit off and allow NPR (natural pressure release). Carefully remove the cake from the inner bowl by gathering the foil sling around the tin and lifting it out. Place onto a wire rack and allow to cool. After 5-10 minutes, remove the cake from the tin and set aside until cold.
• To make the fudge-style filling, place the coconut cream into a microwavable mixing bowl (or you can use a pan on your hob). Heat the cream until piping hot, remove from the heat, and stir in the chocolate until melted and the topping has thickened. Set aside to cool.
• Slice the chocolate cake horizontally through the middle and sandwich both halves together with a generous amount of the chocolate filling.
• Now make the frosting. Place the softened butter into a suitable mixing bowl, and whisk until creamy. Add the icing sugar and cocoa, and whisk slowly to incorporate, mixing well to achieve a smooth consistency. Frost the top and sides of the cake, then decorate with berries and mint sprigs.