Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing them. For added ease, line them with parchment paper rounds and sprinkle a bit of flour.
Combine the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar in a bowl, stir, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
In a spacious mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
To the dry mixture, add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, and the curdled almond milk. Blend using a hand or stand mixer until smooth.
Gradually pour in the boiling water, mixing continuously until the batter is smooth. It will be quite liquidy, but that's perfect!
Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Check with a toothpick; if it comes out clean, they're done.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a large bowl, sift the cocoa powder to eliminate any lumps. Introduce the softened vegan butter to the cocoa and blend until creamy.
Gradually add in half of the powdered sugar and almond milk, mixing continuously. Then, incorporate the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla, blending until the frosting is fluffy.
Adjust the frosting's consistency by adding more milk if it's too thick or more powdered sugar if too runny.
Once the cakes are completely cooled, generously frost them using your preferred tool, be it an icing spatula or a simple butter knife.
16 servings