Vegan chocolate orange gingerbread cake

Stir apple cider vinegar into the non-dairy milk and let sit a couple of minutes until curdled and stringy.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

In a larger bowl, whisk melted and cooled refined coconut oil, molasses, cold brewed coffee and the curdled milk until homogenous.

Add the dry ingredients in stages, mixing by hand or mixer until smooth, then add the zest of one orange.

Grease the pan with vegan butter and line with parchment; wrap halved sheets of foil around the outside, shiny side out, so the cake bakes level.

Pour in the batter and bake at 350, 42 minutes for an eight-inch pan; smaller pans take longer.

Whip vegan butter until light and fluffy, add confectioners sugar slowly on low, then vanilla extract, orange juice and ground cardamom; loosen with non-dairy milk to a spreadable consistency.

Loosen the cooled cake with an offset spatula and flip onto parchment on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet.

Frost from the center out, then smooth the perimeter and scrape the edge in for a clean edge.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the buttercream firms.

Bring the non-dairy cream to a simmer, pour over the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl, let melt, whisk, and finish with butter for shine.

Pour the hot ganache over the chilled cake, guiding it over the edges, and even the sides as it sets.

Once cooled, pipe leftover buttercream with a star tip and top with fresh orange slices.

Slice with a heated knife for clean lines.