Sunday, June 24, 2012

The Best [VEGAN] Chocolate Cake EVER!





Back in March my friend Debbie T (in the blue & white floral sweater) secretly got some of my girlfriends together to celebrate my 44th birthday at Celadon Thai Cuisine Restaurant. It was so fun and I was very surprised to see them all sitting there. I was speechless...and anyone who knows me knows that's a very unnatural state for me to be in. For realz.

I had a wonderful time. Completely blown away. Thank you Debbie T!!

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I'm the birthday queen, crown and all. Felicia L (who's in the back left by me, balloons near her head), made me the best cake ever. And it's vegan! 

I'm 100% vegetarian, however, I'm completely fascinated (borderline obsessed) by vegan cooking. I love the idea that I can create simple, clean, environmentally responsible meals that are free of all animal products, contain no cholesterol and are also delicious.

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I don't eat many sugary sweets or desserts, but I do enjoy a treat on special occasions - like birthdays!!

Felicia found this recipe through a google search and landed on www.instructables.com 
It's called The Best Chocolate Cake EVER and you can find the recipe --> HERE <--

I will also post the recipe at the bottom of this post, but I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due.






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I'm stunned at what these 9 little ingredients can do: 

(dry) flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder 
(wet) water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract & apple cider vinegar.

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And these 4 ingredients are all you need for a glaze. DOH! I forgot vanilla. OK pretend there is vanilla in this picture~I'm too lazy on this Sunday evening to attempt to photoshop it in:

[non-hydrogenated] margarine (I use Earth Balance), sugar, cocoa powder, soy milk & vanilla extract.
(If you don't want to make it vegan you can use butter and dairy milk)

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This recipe cannot be any easier and you can actually do the mixing in your 8x8 pan to save 2 bowls. I like to use a wire whisk so didn't want to ruin my nonstick baking pan. 

Preheat your oven to 350*
Dump ALL dry ingredients in.....

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Mix well.

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In a small bowl (or in the 8x8 pan if you choose), dump ALL wet ingredients in.

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Mix well...

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Combine (if you are using 2 different bowls, like me)...

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Mix well....

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See? Didn't I say it was easy? Pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

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Tap out some of the bubbles.

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In you go! 350* for 30 minutes. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven begin your glaze.

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Mix the first 4 glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan (DO NOT ADD VANILLA EXTRACT).

Bring to a simmer. Turn down heat.

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Simmer and stir for 2 minutes ~ glaze will get thick.

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Remove from heat & stir continuously for 5 minutes.

(Here's where I forgot to show another photo...) ADD VANILLA EXTRACT. Stir in well.

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Pour on warm cake.

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Spread glaze evenly on cake (don't wait, icing sets quickly). 

Note: This is the point where you'd add some sprinkles or finely chopped pecans on top if you so desire. I will experiment in the future.

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Now the hard part. Let cool for 1 hour.

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I mean it. 1 hour.

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Don't touch it. Don't even pick at the icing...Practice. Self. Control.

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Stay away. Even though it's so tempting  and your kitchen smells heavenly. 

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NOW! It's been an hour and the cake is nice and set ~ GO FOR IT!

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My husband & I poured ourselves a glass of soy milk and got lost in this delectable dessert, neither of us speaking a word. Just sitting there. Glassy eyed. 

It's hard to believe this recipe has: no eggs, no milk, no yogurt, no butter, etc. It's as moist & flavorful as any cake I've ever eaten. Try it! You probably have everything in your pantry right now. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks Felicia L for bringing this treat into my life. It's here to stay xoxo

Thanks Alicia Katchmar for posting on instructables.com for us all to enjoy.

Best [VEGAN] Chocolate Cake EVER!
(Mix) Dry Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda

(Add) Wet ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine (such as Earth Balance) 
2 tbsp soy milk
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
(add AFTER removed from heat AND stirred 5 minutes) 2 tsp vanilla extract



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4 comments:

Debbie T said...

Beautiful! My cake did not turn out near as well as yours, but it was still delicious!

The pictures will be very helpful for the next time I bake this cake, now I know what the cake and the icing should look like :-)

Debbie T

Anonymous said...

It was vegan until white sugar was used.. white sugar is not a vegan ingredient.. (>__<)

Brenda said...

You can purchase vegan sugar at Whole Foods Market. It's even organic ;)

Brenda said...

You can purchase vegan sugar at Whole Foods market in 3# bags.