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Almond Joy Cake

January 5, 2022 By Gretchen 43 Comments

One of my favorite candy bars as a kid and even into my adult years was the Almond Joy.

 

Now that I have gone vegan I pass up the candy aisle without a second thought

I know full well that to enjoy my favorite treats of yesteryear I’ve got to recreate them myself!

That’s alright though since

I have outdone the originals with homemade versions time after time!

Almond Joy Cake

This rendition of the Almond Joy Cake includes my best recipes for chocolate and vanilla cake layers

With that sticky, gooey coconut filling in between each layer.

Almond Joy Cake

A thin coating of chocolate buttercream and ganache poured over every inch of it!

Complete with homemade almond joy candy bars to adorn the top!

Almond Joy Cake

 

The recipe for coconut filling is really simple

However it does require sweetened condensed milk which is available in some specialty food stores; but I just decided to make my own. *recipe below

All you need is a can of full fat coconut milk and some sugar or agave or vegan hon-ee

Simmered for about an hour to a thick creamy condensed milk that is perfect for recipes!

Vegan Almond Joy Cake

This is a building on recipes project which as you know takes several recipes to get to the final layer cake,

But if you work ahead and prep some things a day or two before it makes the job less stressful.

I always have a recipe of buttercream on hand, so for me this cake was a breeze once I baked my cake layers.

Almond Joy cake

The cakes can be baked a day or two ahead too, and I always freeze my cake layers before assembling any cake

Then all you have to do is make the quick coconut filling and build that cake!

Vegan Almond Joy Cake

Almond Joy Cake

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE!

Almond Joy cake

Updated:

This recipe was created a few years ago, before I had developed the Coconut Cake Recipe

So as you see it is a combination of Vanilla Cake & Chocolate Cake with the coconut portion being just the filling.

For a more Coco-nutty version of this cake, substitute my recipe for Coconut Cake instead of the vanilla as listed below!
Classic Coconut Layer Cake

For more candy bar cake recipes click the links below!

Vegan Snickers Cheesecake
Snickers Cheesecake
Copy Cat Recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Rice Krispy Crunch Bar Cake
Rice Krispy Cake

Snickers Cheesecake

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Vegan Rice Krispy Crunch Bar Cake

5.0 from 4 reviews
Almond Joy Cake
 
Print
Prep time
2 hours
Bake time
25 mins
Total time
2 hours 25 mins
 
Serves: 7" cake to serve 10 pepole
Ingredients
  • 1 Recipe Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream or Easy Vegan Buttercream
  • Cocoa Powder 3 Tbs to make a portion of it chocolate
  • For the Vanilla Cake Layer
  • Ground Flax Seeds 2 tablespoons (16g)
  • Hot Water 5 tablespoons (75ml)
  • White Vinegar 1 Tablespoon (15ml)
  • Soy Milk ½ cup (120ml)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
  • Cake Flour 1¼ cup (150g)
  • Granulated Sugar ¾ cup (150g)
  • Baking Powder 2 teaspoons (10g)
  • Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
  • Vegan Butter 6 Tablespoons (84g)
  • For the Chocolate Cake
  • All Purpose Flour ¾ cup (94g)
  • Granulated Sugar ⅓ cup (67g)
  • Salt pinch
  • Baking Powder ¾ teaspoon
  • Baking Soda ¾ teaspoon
  • Coconut Oil 4 Tablespoons (56g)
  • Boiling Water ¾ (177ml)
  • Dutch Process or Natural Cocoa Powder ⅓ cup (70g)
  • Ground Flax Seeds 3 Tablespoons (24g)
  • Hot Water 5 Tablespoons (75ml)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
  • For the Coconut Filling
  • Sweetened Shredded Coconut 3 cups
  • Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 cup *recipe follows
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
  • Almond Flour or Coconut Flour ½ cup
  • For the Ganache Icing
  • Vegan Semi Sweet Chocolate 8 ounces
  • Soy Milk or Almond Milk ¾ cup
Instructions
  1. For the Vanilla Cake:
  2. Combine the flax meal with the hot water and let stand for about 5 minutes to thicken
  3. Add the vinegar to the soy milk to sour
  4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt
  5. Cream the vegan butter with the sugar until light and fluffy and this may take about 3-5 minutes on medium to high speed
  6. Add the thickened flax paste while mixing on medium speed, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate evenly, add the vanilla extract
  7. Add about ⅓ of the flour to the creamed mixture then add half of the soured milk
  8. Add another ⅓ of the flour and then the remaining sour milk
  9. Add the last amount of flour and mix just to combine evenly.
  10. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment lined 7" cake pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 25 minutes or until it is springy to the touch when you gently press the centers
  11. For the Chocolate Cake:
  12. Combine ground flax seed with the 5 Tbs of hot water and whisk smooth
  13. Let stand for 5 minutes to thicken to a paste
  14. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder & soda together in a large mixing bowl
  15. Combine the coconut oil, ¾ cup boiling water and cocoa powder together and whisk smooth
  16. Add the cocoa mixture and the flax eggs mixture along with the vanilla extract to the flour mixture and whisk smooth
  17. Divide the batter between 2-7" cake pans filling slightly more than half full and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until they are springy to the touch when you gently press the centers
  18. Prepare the buttercream recipe as per the instructions on that blog post, divide the recipe into 2 portions and add the cocoa powder at the last stage of mixing to one portion.
  19. The remaining buttercream will be used for the coconut filling below
  20. For the Coconut Filling:
  21. Combine all the ingredients for the filling together in a large mixing bowl, form your almond joy candies from a small portion of this (I made 12 fun sized candies and had exactly enough filling left for my cake) add 1 cup of the vanilla buttercream to the remaining coconut filling for a creamier cake filling
  22. Assemble the cake as shown in the video
Notes
Almond Joy Cake can be kept at room temperature for 1 day, but for longer storage keep refrigerated for up to 1 week wrapped to prevent drying. Bring to room temperature before serving for best results.
3.5.3251

5.0 from 4 reviews
Chocolate Glaze for the Candies
 
Print
Serves: 1¼ cup
Ingredients
  • For the Glaze:
  • 8 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 10Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3 Tablespoons agave syrup
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients together in a small sauce pot and heat on low stirring constantly until melted
3.5.3251

Purchase Coconut Condensed Milk or make your own with the recipe below!
Coconut Condensed Milk
5.0 from 4 reviews
Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
1 hour
Total time
1 hour
 
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1 -14ounce can full fat coconut milk
  • ⅓ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Bring the coconut milk to a boil then add the sugar and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the mixture reduces down to 1 cup and is thickened.
  2. It will get thicker as it cools
3.5.3251

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cake Recipes, Layer Cakes

Previous Post: « Fraisier Cake
Next Post: 3 Copy Cat Vegan Girl Scout Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sabell

    November 6, 2017 at 5:26 am

    Would it work for me to substitute the sweetened condensed milk with coconut butter in the almond joy recipe? It seems similar .. maybe I can use unsweetened shredded coconut with it? since it might prove too sweet?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 6, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      Yes I believe you could use coconut butter, if it is sweet, then maybe use half unsweetened coconut and half sweetened?

      Reply
  2. Lisa McConnachie

    November 7, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    This sounds (and looks) amazing!! I’m so glad you’re back!!!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 7, 2017 at 6:22 pm

      Awe thank you Lisa for the kind welcome back!

      Reply
  3. Diana

    November 7, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    Hi Gretchen
    All the best with the Vegan venture, I will not be baking Vegan , i love butter, cream , milk ,meat and fish .
    Thank you for the non vegan recipes presented in your other life and good luck .
    Please watch your B12 count.
    Sincerely Diana.

    Reply
  4. Bobbie Parsons

    November 8, 2017 at 7:00 am

    Thanks Gretchen, this recipe will make a wonderful birthday treat for a friend of mine.

    Reply
  5. Lynne Dangelo

    November 8, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    My grandson is allergic to soy, nuts and dairy so I’m looking forward to trying your recipes. What is Vegan margarine/ butter? Is it hydrogenated ? I assume I can’t use soft tub margarine. Can I use coconut milk instead of soy?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 8, 2017 at 10:41 pm

      Hi! Earth Balance also has a soy free variety but you can use margarine too.
      I prefer not to use the soft tub style whenever possible, its just….softer…LOL
      Yes to any milk alternative of your choice, coconut works great in all recipes
      (also use coconut flour in place of the almond flour if you are going to make the candy bars)

      Reply
  6. Joyce

    November 9, 2017 at 9:19 am

    Hi Gretchen,
    I’m so happy with your vegan blog!
    Love ❤️ it ?
    Happy to see more?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 9, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      Thanks Joyce!!

      Reply
  7. Michelle

    November 9, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    Do you have a written recipe for the almond Joy candy

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 10, 2017 at 1:13 am

      Yes its the filling recipe listed here. If you read the whole thing it will make sense, I used the filling (divided) to make 12 candy bars and had exactly enough left to fill the cake. SO if you didnt want to make the cake at all, just make the filling recipe and it will probably made about 4dz candy bars

      Reply
  8. Elizabeth

    November 15, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Gretchen, can I use 8 inch baking pans? This looks so good! Though I am nervous about how vegan baking can be
    satisfying… I hope it is, since I am a Baker by trade… Thank you

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 15, 2017 at 3:09 pm

      Hi! Yes you can, adjust this recipe to fit into 8″ pans for sure.
      You will have slightly thinner layers though, so of course your bake time will be a bit shorter.
      I think you will be pleased at the outcome! You picked a GREAT cake to try for your first vegan experience!!

      Reply
  9. Amali

    November 15, 2017 at 4:36 pm

    Hi gretchens, what is the vegetable shortening and what are the other things can use for it?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 16, 2017 at 1:08 am

      Hello, vegetable shortening is a solid fat used interchangeably with butter (or in this cake vegan butter) I use it in many recipe specifically buttercream because it gives stability. In baking recipes though it has a higher melting point than butter

      Reply
  10. shirley Almeida

    January 5, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Hi Gretchen: I love your recipes, what’s up with vegan cakes?? Where can I find the normal cake recipes which do not use the above ingredients such as flax seeds, vegan chocolate??

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      January 5, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      I still have my non vegan blog open at http://www.gretchensbakery.com for as long as I can afford the cost to keep it open 🙂

      Reply
  11. Salina

    March 30, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    What do you mean by 3/3 cocoa?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      March 31, 2018 at 2:53 pm

      woops thanks! 1/3

      Reply
      • Salina

        April 29, 2018 at 7:12 pm

        Will it be ok to sub the Vanilla cake soy milk for almond milk?

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          April 29, 2018 at 8:00 pm

          yes fine

          Reply
  12. Martha guerra

    November 3, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    Hi! Gretchen I been following you since you have the bakery, I love all your recipes but I’m not vegan so I was wondering if you still have the old recipes, hope you do and if you can share be awesome. If not I respect your decision any way I still watch your channel ? thank you for your time and congratulations you are amazing ?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 4, 2018 at 9:48 pm

      Hi Martha thanks. I still have my old blog up at gretchensbakery.com for as long as I can afford to keep it open. Not sure how much longer that will be though 🙁

      Reply
      • Samantha

        January 30, 2020 at 10:59 pm

        Any way u could sell us your old recipes? Perhaps a book? I too treasure your old recipes. Your smbc is my go to and everyone’s favorite! Of course I’m still around for all the new recipes as well. I too am vegetarian. Not vegan. Everything looks and sounds awesome.

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          January 31, 2020 at 10:59 pm

          Hi Samantha that’s so Great thanks! I really do hope you will try the vegan recipes, they really are perfect!! You will fast realize you never needed all those animal ingredients in the first place!! Im sorry but I do not have the old recipes anymore, they were housed only in the database and that website has shut down. I did not keep any copies for myself since I no longer have use for them, however I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing them at this point even if I did keep them, the recipes laden with animal derived ingredients promote the very industry that is torturing animals by the billions daily, leads to all sorts of human illness, not to mention the disease and destruction animal agriculture is on the planet.
          Again I really hope you will give the recipes a try! Thanks for the support! Gretchen

          Reply
  13. Yamuna

    December 3, 2018 at 8:43 pm

    Hi Gretchen! Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes you post! I’d say your vegan cakes are THE best!
    Do you think I can use unsweetened shredded coconut? Should I add some sugar to it?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      December 3, 2018 at 11:09 pm

      HI Thanks! You can add sugar if you like, But I would wait and see how you think it tastes before you do. The condensed milk has sugar and maybe you will think it is sweet enough. If not add a couple tablespoons of confectioners sugar to taste

      Reply
  14. Danielle Durand

    March 12, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    Hello Gretchen! I would like to know if it would be possible to indicate where you buy your vegan ingredients? I would like to make the vegan recipe, but the ingredients are not always easily available. Thank you again, I love your recipes!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      March 12, 2019 at 4:31 pm

      Hi Danielle thank you! (and thank you for the Youtube comment as well!) I usually only link to ingredients for the more obscure items, for the other things like Vegan Butter and Cream Cheese I just buy at Shop Rite (my local supermarket) In the past- like this video was originally from 2017 and I was just starting out with my vegan recipes, I was saying things like “Earth Balance Butter” instead of just vegan butter. So that could be confusing, since not everyone gets the same brands as me. But other wise the ingredients can be changed to whatever brands you can get. Anything specific you can’t find just let me know and I will try to help!

      Reply
  15. Timesaflyin

    March 16, 2019 at 6:28 am

    This cake sound wonderful. Almond Joy was one of my favorite candy bars too.

    Gretchen, I have been looking for your Crumb Bun Cake recipe but cannot find it under Cake Recipes. Also, I must be overlooking the Search tool. I used to use it often but I’m not seeing it any longer. Can you give me the link, please.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      March 17, 2019 at 12:13 am

      Hi Thanks! CLICK HERE and HERE TOO

      Reply
  16. Timesaflyin

    April 20, 2019 at 9:39 pm

    ?, HELP, I cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong. I have made numerous cakes from your website but this chocolate cake is not working for me. I made it yesterday and there was barely enough batter to put into two 7” pans. It did nor rise at all so turned out to be like fudge, though not fudge, unfortunately.

    Today I measured out the ingredients again (I do use gram weight). Double checking all ingredients but still got the same result. What do you think I’m missing? The vanilla cake is fine. Trying to make it for the feast tomorrow so may have to find a different chocolate cake but would still like your input. I’m so frustrated because of wasting all these ingredients. I have been following you before you sold the bakery and have always had stellar results.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 21, 2019 at 1:08 am

      Hi Martha! I emailed you!

      Reply
      • Sheila

        April 5, 2022 at 6:54 pm

        Hi Gretchen, I am making the Almond joy cake, and the Chocolate cake layers are half the height of the vanilla cake layer. Is it supposed to be that way or am I supposed to double the chocolate cake recipe?

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          April 5, 2022 at 8:11 pm

          Hmm, as I am looking at the recipe, it looks like I did provide HALF the recipe for chocolate cake for 2 layers since a full recipe makes 3 thicker layers
          The vanilla cake recipe is also halved since we only need 1 layer of cake, but the ratios of the recipes aren’t exactly the same so the vanilla cake *((even in my finished cake as you see)) is thicker than the 2 chocolate layers.
          If this is bothersome, you can always slice the vanilla cake recipe in half and make a 4 layer cake.

          Sorry for the confusion!

          Reply
          • Sheila

            April 5, 2022 at 8:52 pm

            Thanks Gretchen, I did end up making a 4 layer cake as you suggested and the results were just as good!

          • Gretchen

            April 6, 2022 at 2:09 am

            awesome!!

  17. Timesaflyin

    April 20, 2019 at 11:50 pm

    I see the chocolate ganache icing recipe but nothing for the chocolate glaze. Would you add that link to this cake, please. I did a search and got every kind of glaze except the one I need. Thanks, Gretchen. Hope you have a great holiday.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 21, 2019 at 12:49 am

      Hey! thanks for pointing that out! yikes! Updated! refresh your browser and it should show up (separate recipe under the main)

      Reply
      • Timesaflyin

        April 21, 2019 at 12:12 pm

        Thanks for your replies. I plan to bake this cake this morning and have it ready for my guests today. Thank you so much.

        Reply
  18. Michelle

    December 5, 2020 at 10:58 pm

    Can I use regular condensed milk and flour for the coconut filling? I’m not brave enough for the vegan journey yet.

    Reply
  19. Kata Vuletić

    December 14, 2020 at 4:23 am

    I’ve made it for my daughter’s birthday. She liked it very much. https://katinspajz.blogspot.com/2020/12/almond-joy-torta.html

    Reply

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Yep, it's me Gretchen~ Owner of Gretchen's Bakery. Well, I no longer own a physical bakery since I sold mine in late 2014 & since 2016 I make nothing but the best vegan recipes! Read More…

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