Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prep (3) 8-inch pans with olive oil spray and then dust the pans with gluten-free flour OR cocoa powder (to avoid a white residue).
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt).
3. In a separate small bowl, mix the almond milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until well-combined, scraping down the sides as you go.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1. Soften the shortening in the microwave for 15-20 seconds (or until you can stir it and it’s creamy).
2. Cream the shortening and plant butter together until smooth and silky.
3. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate almond milk and vanilla.  I highly recommend a Bosch Mixer for making frosting so the bowl is completely closed and you don’t get a powdered sugar cloud. See my video in this post.
4. Mix together until smooth. If the frosting is too stiff, add more almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.  If the frosting is too thin, add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time to thicken.
5. When the cakes are cooled, place one layer on a cake plate and then top with a generous amount of chocolate buttercream. Repeat until all layers are stacked, then cover the outside with frosting.
6. (optional)  If you’d like to add the chocolate drip, microwave approximately 1 cup of buttercream for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth and similar to chocolate syrup. Use a spoon to create the drip effect on the cake (see this post for instructions).
7. Pipe a border and rosettes if you’d like to dress it up!
8. Enjoy!