I sometimes fancy something really simple to go with my cup of coffee, something I can grab and munch on. If you are looking for something similar, this simple vegan cocoa cake bars recipe is perfect for you! These kid-approved cake bars are full of yummy cocoa flavour, soft and easy to hold and bite☺
The making process is very easy and you only need a few basic ingredients. These cake bars are soft but not moist and tender. It’s something between cake and cookie so after they are cut into small squares it’s really easy to carry in a lunch box or keep in a jar for an anytime dessert or snack. You can also serve this with some vegan ice cream and it’s super delicious as well!
What do you need to make Simple Vegan Cocoa Cake Bars?
- plain flour
- baking powder
- salt
- sugar
- cocoa powder
- vegan margarine
- ground flaxseed
If you only have self-raising flour, you can use that instead of the plain flour and omit the baking powder. I used unrefined golden cane sugar but you could use any sugar.
How to make guide
- Firstly you need to make the flax egg by mixing the ground flaxseed and hot water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease your baking tin or line with baking paper.
- while waiting for the flax egg to be ready, sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add in the sugar and mix well.
- In a bowl, melt the margarine in a microwave. Mix in the flax egg (it should be ready by now) and stir well. Pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture should be firm. almost like cookie dough.
- Spread the mixture over the prepared tin and press evenly with a spoon or a folk. Sprinkle the top with some sugar and make lines for easy cut for later. Prick the top with a folk.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are looking slightly crunchy. Let it cool completely before taking out of the tin.
You can cut the cake bars easily with your hand or a knife as you made the cut lines before baking. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Enjoy your cake bar☺
Simple Vegan Cocoa Cake Bars
Ingredients
For the flax egg
- 5 g ground flaxseed
- 34 g hot water
For the rest
- 180 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 22 g cocoa powder unsweetened
- a tiny pinch of salt
- 150 g sugar I used golden caster sugar
- 130 g vegan margarine
- some more sugar for topping
Click below for ingredient unit conversion
Instructions
- Make the flax egg by mixing the flaxseed and hot water in a bowl. When it's ready to use, it looks gloopy and shiny. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4.5). Grease your baking tin or line with baking paper. I used a baking tin in size 11 x 7 inch but anything similar is fine.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt into a mixing bowl and add in the sugar. Mix well.
- Melt the margarine in a microwave in a bowl and mix in the flax egg, stir well. Pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until well combined. The combined mixture should be firm, almost like cookie dough.
- Put the mixture into the prepared tin and press evenly with a spoon or a folk. The thickness should be somewhere between 1 and 2cm.
- Sprinkle the top with some sugar and make lines with a knife for easy cut for later. Prick the top with a folk. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges are looking slightly crunchy. Every oven is different so please check your cake when you think it's time☺
- Let it cool completely before taking out of the tin. You should be able to cut the cake easily with your hand or a knife as you made the cut lines already before making!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. You could keep the cake in the fridge but they might go a little dry.
