Vegan Mocha Almond Chocolate Waffle Cake 

When we get to the end of the year, sometimes I decide that I need to make a recipe that I have had in my head for a while, yet never got around to making.  Well, this year it was a waffle cake.  I have been wanting to make a waffle cake since last year around this time to be honest, but I either just decided on a standard cake, or for a while I was afraid to make Belgian waffles (the kind I would need for the cake) because every time I tried to make them in my old waffle iron they didn't turn out. Then I finally ruined the waffle maker in the end when I messed up a recipe and added too much liquid (halving the rest of the recipe but forgot the liquid needed to be halved), and it ended up burning onto the iron so bad I had to toss it. It was about 30 years old because it was used when it was given to my Mom when I was little, so I didn't feel too bad. But no chance for waffle cake without a maker.

Well, luckily my Dad gave me a Belgian waffle maker for Christmas so I could make my waffle cake!  It is a nice Cuisinart waffle maker, and although the waffles are smaller than the ones my old maker made and are square instead of round, I like that I can make four at a time now.  It is so much more efficient and they come out beautifully!  No sticking! So I was super excited about the cake.  I couldn't decide between flavors for a while, because fruit sounded good, but I figured I would save that for next Summer when berries are at their best.  So what I came up with was a mocha almond chocolate waffle cake!

Raw Guru had recently sent me some Dastony sprouted almond butter and I knew it would work perfect in my recipe to give it a lovely almond flavor, as well as make some almond butter fudge with to drizzle over the cake, and I had plenty of cacao powder, so it was perfect!  Plus for some reason I have been making a lot of chocolate stuff lately.  I know the name of my blog has "vanilla" in it but I don't discriminate!

The waffles came out lovely, chocolate with a hint of coffee and almond and all they needed was some delicious things to layer them with for the cake.  I made a mocha almond cream, and the fudge I mentioned earlier to sandwich them together with and the combination was heavenly!  I also topped it all off with some crunchy toasted almonds and chocolate chips, because I love different textures!  If you don't feel like actually heating up the oven and baking, this is a great way to make a cake, or if you want a really decadent indulgent waffle treat for brunch this would be awesome as well!  Hope you all are having a wonderful New Years eve, and I wish you all an amazing 2019!

Vegan Mocha Almond Chocolate Waffle Cake 
makes 1 6 layer waffle cake

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour*
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp ground flax seed, whisked together with 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water
• 2 Tbsp melted avocado oil or coconut oil
• 1 cup freshly brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup Dastony almond butter

Fudge:

• 1/2 cup Dastony almond butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• pinch sea salt
• filtered water as needed

Mocha Almond Cream:

• 1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup Dastony almond butter
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tsp freshly ground espresso
• 2/3 cup Dastony coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Topping:

• toasted almonds
• chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. To make the waffles, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cayenne and cacao powder and sea salt in a large bowl.
2. Then whisk the flax mixture, coconut oil, and coconut milk until smooth.
3. Oil, and pre-heat waffle iron. Once it is heated, pour about 1/3 cup batter onto the waffle iron or until the iron is just covered (but not so much that it will ooze out) and close it.  Cook according to waffle iron package directions.  Remove from the waffle maker and let waffles cool completely on a wire rack.  If you have a waffle maker the size of mine (regular belgian waffles), you may have more than 6 waffles.  In that case, reserve 6 for the recipe, and enjoy the others!
4. To make the cream for in between the waffles, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth.  Pour into a bowl, place in the freezer, and whisk every 15 minutes until it is thick like whipped cream (it will probably take about 45 minutes). Once it is thick enough move it to the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the cake.
5. To make the fudge, whisk together all ingredients until smooth (adding a little filtered water if too thick.  You want it to be pour-able).
6. To assemble, place a waffle on a plate, spoon

*If you do not wish to make a gluten free cake, whole wheat pastry flour will work as well!