Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup of cocoa powder
1 cup olive oil or canola oil
2/3 cup of cane sugar
1 flax egg ( 1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water + 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of coffee room temp
1 cup of water
Pre-Heat oven 350 degrees
Use any 9 inch. pan
2 mixing bowls
Electric Mixer, Hand electric mixer or large whisk.
Recipe Notes: if you are using an electric mixer prep the dry ingredients in a separate medium sized bowl. Use the mixer’s bowl for wet ingredients. Blend all of the wet ingredients in order below then add all the dry ingredients. Make exception for the 1 cup boiling water which goes into the batter last ( after dry ingredients). Whether mixing by hand or with an electric mixer make sure to slowly add in dry ingredients -about 1/2 cup increments. Use whatever shape baking pan you have.
This cake is delicious, dense and moist. Personally I think it tastes even better the next day for breakfast, it has a beautiful texture and the chocolate and cocoa powder give it a warm depth. You can make your own frosting or glaze. I have used a vegan buttercream made just like a regular buttercream, using earth balance and powdered sugar. I made it this Sunday for my Sister in law who is the sweetest pisces. She loves chocolate and I love this cake so much.
It is a recipe my mom and Granny would make for birthday’s and when we requested it. I loved it as a kid with either powdered sugar ( I was not into a lot of icing bc turn out allergic to dairy lol) or a little frosting and lots of shredded coconut left over for breakfast. My Granny loves coconut, as do I and my Mom. When I was young I played around with baking and would help both of them bake. My mom has a binder full of clip out, written down and passed on or back of an envelope quick note recipes. I remember my mom showing me the recipe and it was like finding out the magic of the cake. It is coffee. Written on a piece of photocopied paper scribbled out ingredients from the back of a cocoa powder can ( I think Hershey’s-which to note they are terrible). The recipe called for milk but instead at some point my Granny tried coffee and there was the cake. In high school when I went veg I started making it, playing around with ingredients, mostly egg substitutes. Back then it was a lot of experimenting. I tried apple sauce, soy milk, bananas, fake egg and then finally discovered a flax egg. i wish I could remember where I learned this but I know it was a cook book, possibly a vegan punk cookbook. I like the extra nutrients flax gives and I think it helps make it more moist thanks to the oils.
I played around a lot with baking at the time. Many many mistakes. But good lessons. And this cake has taught me. I have burned it and over baking soda’d it and made it like really flat and not as delicious. Now, I stay as true as I can with exception of the egg. Also, use whatever cocoa you are able to access. and personally I save 1 cup of my morning coffee the day I make this cake so it is ready to go. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do. If you want to use eggs totes go for it. 1 egg is good. If you are not a coffee person you can sub out the coffee for a plant based milk, oat would be yummy. If you want to sub the flour for gluten free use the same measurements.
I hope this recipe fills you up in some way. I hope it tastes delicious for you. I hope you take a moment to slow chew cake. For real. Taste it, lick your fingers and be with it. It is so good. I hope if you don’t make it, instead it made you want to suck on a piece of dark chocolate, or pop a blueberry in your mouth. i hope it tastes delicious for you. Maybe it reminds you of a sweet recipe in your family and you make that. Maybe you change and swap ingredients. Maybe you follow it step by step as a mindfulness practice. Baking cake is magic. It is science. It is molecules reacting with each other and creating expansion and new matter by heat. It is so cool. Turn on the oven light and watch it rise. Put on this weeks playlist and have fun.
Directions:
1.) Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. Mix in a small bowl ground flax + 3 tbsp of water and 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar. Stir well until ingredients are immersed with a fork, small whisk or chop stick. Let this mix chill for about 10 mins while you prep dry and wet ingredients.
2.) In medium bowl prep dry ingredients: Add 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda, 1 tsp of sea salt. Whisk together well. Add cocoa and whisk until well blended.
3.) Prep mixer of wet ingredient bowl: Whisk together oil and sugar first until mixed well. Medium speed. Next add flax egg and whisk together. Next add vanilla extract. Make sure ingredients are well whisked/blended before adding the coffee. If hand whisking do 1 min. On electric use medium speed. Next whisk coffee into mix well.
4.) Slowly pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while whisking or using electric mixer. Add in 1/2 cup increments to make sure the flour is not chunky in the batter. you want you batter to feel thick but not chunky. Keep mixing if needed until more smooth.
5.) After all dry and wet ingredients are mixed together. Very slowly and safely pour in 1 cup of boiling water ( use a liquid measuring cup with a pour indent for safer use and wear gloves if needed. Go slow with the mixer or whisk and keep your face away a little to make sure water doesn’t splash into your face-this is safe just be careful working with boiling water, you can get burned). Mix boiling water until it is all blended. Batter should be smooth and thinner. Transfer to baking shape of your choice. I like round or rectangular. Bunt is great too. Grease the pan with a little oil if you need to. Place in the oven and bake for 40 mins. Rotate the pan fully around at the 20 min mark for even baking. Remove from oven and let cool and serve and adorn as you like.