{chocolate cake, The Joy of Vegan Baking}
I tried to hide the Halloween candy from The Mister. Truly, I did. Actually, I was hiding it from The Mister’s notorious, insatiable, unrelenting sweet tooth and a certain 2.5 year old scamp with a nut allergy. I picked out a few favorites for Mikey and put it in my little salt and do-dads cabinet to the right of the stove. I was doing a fine job doling them out piece by piece in Mikey’s lunch box, until this Tuesday I opened my cabinet and found it devoid of candy. Not a Snickers in sight. Clearly, The Mister found my stash.
The apple cake I made on Monday? Gone by Tuesday night. Two boys, a husband, and roughly 86 sweet teeth champing at the bit* to eat dessert will do that to Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.
Today I made the Chocolate Cake from The Joy of Vegan Baking. We’ll see how long it lasts.
*yep, it’s champing. Geeky word trivia from your friendly neighborhood word nerd.
**I normally don’t reprint recipes from cookbooks without the express permission from the author, but since Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has this recipe available on her site, I’m going to go ahead and reprint it here.
Chocolate Cake
This chocolate cake might be the easiest cake in the world to prepare, and it’s incredibly versatile, lending itself to a layer cake, bundt cake, or cupcakes. Though this is a pretty common recipe, I want to give credit to Jennifer Raymond, for it was in her cookbook The Peaceful Palate that I first saw it.
Ingredients
* 1-1/2 cups (188 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup (80 ml) canola oil
* 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
* 1 cup (235 ml) cold waterPreheat the oven to 350� F (180� C or gas mark 4). Lightly oil a Bundt pan, 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, or muffin tins.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients, and add the vanilla, oil, vinegar, and water. Mix until just combined. Pour into your prepared pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If making cupcakes, check for doneness after 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Cool completely before frosting with Chocolate Frosting (see below) or with Buttercream Frosting (page 231). You may also dust with sifted confectioner’s sugar and top with fresh raspberries.
Yield: One 9-inch cake (23-cm) or 8 cupcakes. Double the recipe for a layer cake or a bundt cake.
Serving Suggestions and Variations: Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a teaspoon of chili powder for a ‘Mexican Chocolate Cake.’
Chocolate Frosting
A chocolate lover’s dream! Though many of the commercial brands of frosting are ‘vegan,’ they’re also made with unsavory ingredients, such as partially hydrogenated oil or high-fructose corn syrup. This recipe is as easy as it is delicious.
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup (112 g) non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, softened
* 3 cups (300 g) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
* 1/3 (42 g) cup cocoa, sifted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 3-4 tablespoons (45 to 60) water or nondairy milkWith an electric hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar, and cream for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and turn the mixer to high speed once all the ingredients are relatively well-combined. Beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add l or 2 tablespoons more milk if it’s too dry. Cover the icing with plastic wrap to prevent drying until ready to use. Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.
Yield: Enough for one 9-inch (23-cm) cake or 8 cupcakes
That cake looks sounds so yummy. You’re pictures the past few days of your kitchen has motivated me to paint my kitchen. It’s been needed for a long time and I’m going to do it! Thanks for the motivation.
This looks so delicious that…wait…yep, I’ve just decided to make it TONIGHT.
Also, I LOVE word trivia. You are so very cool.
Erin,
You should make it! I didn’t even make the frosting. Just plain ol’ cake. And the best part of this recipe is that it took one bowl and spoon. The clean up was ridiculously easy! I had an hour before I had to pick up Mikey, didn’t feel like writing, and thought…hmmm. I’ll make a cake!
Also, I didn’t have white vinegar so I used apple cider with no problems!
Toi–Do it! Sometimes change is really good for the spirit, know what I mean?
Of course it’s champing. What else would it be? *confused*
The cake sounds delicious, though! I’ll have to try that recipe!!
Yum. Champing, indeed! Love chocolate. Love being a wordy word nerd. Thanks for the fun recipe. Will have to add it to my list of must-bakes…
Champing! Love it! I wish I lived closer I would like a big ol’ pile of this!
YUMMMMMMMMMM :-)
OK girls >> I made it, frosting and all. All frosted and now it is just sitting on my cake plate waiting for after we have dinner. I always use good chocolate from Williams and Sonoma when I bake I believe it makes a difference. So I will report back to see what the Mister and I thought…..LOL. You all can come over and have a piece if you like ;)
uh-oh! Now I am nervous you won’t like it. :)
holy crap, i have all the ingredients for this in my kitchen. i have the dietary preferences of an 8 year old and the kitchen storage space of a homeless person but I somehow, magically, have all these ingredients in my cupboard. will definitely give this a go when i get home today. you=the best.
oh, except the hand mixer for the frosting, since I obviously threw my {horrible, mess making monster} old one away in a mashed potato induced rage fit last week. will resort to duncan heinz until the offending mixer can be replaced.
This cake looks absolutely delish! I just found your blog, and I’m loving it. Can’t wait to read more :)
Thanks, Ashley!
Hannah–I made it without the frosting, which means you don’t need the hand mixer. It’s not a terribly sweet chocolate cake (most chocolate cakes from scratch aren’t, and I like that) but I still think it’s yummy. :)
OK girls, we have been soo busy eating this cake that I forgot to report, we love it.
I did have to double the recipe b/c I made it in a bundt pan, however I did not double the frosting and I had enough to frost the whole cake. I will make it again. I gave some to my neighbor across the street and she asked me if this cake had veggies in it, b/c I told her that this was a vegan cake….lol This is what happens when you get old girls. I would like the recipe for the pasta dish you made the other day. Have a great weekend everyone!!!
Whew! So glad you liked it, Esther! Yep, this is the perfect cake for kids with allergies or people that are trying to reduce their saturated fat content. I love that it doesn’t require tofu, which you often see in vegan recipes. :)
Mmm, it’s hard to beat a homemade chocolate cake… I could sure go for a piece! ;)
That cake looks delicious! i just made my first homemade chocolate cake the other week. this may have to be my second attempt. just discovered your blog! i love it! how adorable are your kids? Love the younger ones cheeks! :)