Chocolate 2 -layer cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and spray (2) 8″ cake pans with nonstick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Mix together the milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle (making a vegan buttermilk).
3. Whisk together the flour, cocao powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, either whisking by hand or with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, apple sauce, oil, and vanilla.
5. On the side, mix together the hot water and espresso powder. Set aside.
6. To the sugar mixture, alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop and scrape down the bowl about halfway through.
7. Once that’s smooth, slowly mix in the hot espresso. Now the batter will be very thin.
8. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
9. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then remove from the pans and let them completely cool at room temperature before frosting. To speed up this process, you can pop them into the fridge.

Chocolate Mousse:

1. Add the chocolate to a skillet with about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk over medium heat and mix well. Once the milk starts boiling, the chocolate will start melting. Switch off the heat.
2. Continue to mix until the chocolate is completely smooth. You can also microwave the chocolate in bursts of 30 seconds. Once it starts to melt on the edges, whisk well until all of the chocolate is melted.
3. Add the cashews, remaining coconut milk, cocao powder, vanilla, sugar, salt, and melted chocolate to a blender and a tablespoon of the coffee, then blend. Blend it for one minute, then let the blender sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the cashews can soak more moisture. Blend again for 30 seconds. Then, wait a minute, blend again for 30 seconds, and repeat until the mixture is smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to thicken.
5. Taste and adjust the sweetness and flavor if you like. You can add more cocao powder, coffee, vanilla, or sugar and blend well after adding them.

Ganache:

1. Place a bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water (a double boiler). Add chocolate and allow to melt, stirring frequently. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave.)
2. Remove bowl from heat, and allow chocolate to cool slightly.
3. Add room-temperature thick coconut milk and allow the mixture to sit for a minute for the temperatures to assimilate.
4. Stir or whisk gently to combine cream and chocolate.
5. Use immediately as a drizzle over cake.

Assemble:

1. Only frost the cake once the layers have completely cooled.
2. Spread about 1 cup of mousse between each cake layer (a small offset spatula is my favorite tool). Once all layers are stacked, place the naked cake in the fridge to set. Otherwise, the cake will slide around when trying to frost the sides. Chill for 20 minutes.
3. Once firm, remove the cake and plop the mousse on top of it (yes, all of it). Spread it out towards the sides and let it hang over the edges. Spread that overhang down the sides to the bottom of the cake. The sides don’t have to be perfect, but make sure the cake is completely covered.
4. Use your offset spatula or a spoon to create the swoops and swirls around the cake. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
5. Enjoy!