Vegan Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe I have had for years. Long ago, in my early college years, I pretty much became a vegetarian for awhile. I never went full fledged vegetarian but what I called "flexitarian," meaning I still had meat from time to time but very rarely. I also had a close friend who was a die-hard vegan. It still amazes me the dedication and creativity that vegans have when it comes to their diets! This friend of mine opened up a whole new world of foods to me including the glory that is soy milk and even some delicious and healthier variations of some of my classic favorite foods. To this day, I still love to make tofu pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and soy milk has become a dear friend of mine.

So in order to learn more about vegan cooking, I found a great vegan cookbook hidden away on a back self in a used book store. On the front cover was a picture of a moist dark slice of chocolate cake. Immediately I knew I had to own this book. Eagerly I took it home and set to work on tagging all the recipes I wanted to try. At the time, my parents weren't huge on vegan and vegetarian foods. And, in fact, my family would often give me a good ribbing about all of the soy and tofu products I would buy. Of course, these days, they're all about organic foods and have gained a new appreciation for soy products. But at the time, they jestingly called me "Jensoy" and even still, the nickname has lingered around.

Anyway, as I flipped through the many tempting recipes, I came across the recipe for chocolate cake. Being the absolute sweet freak that I am, I had to make it! But since my family wasn't huge on the whole vegan idea, I decided to convert the measurements to make a small single serving cake just for myself. It was amazing! I had no idea how rich and moist a vegan cake could be! How could something without the richness of butter, milk, or eggs be so soft and flavorful? Pretty soon it became a late night ritual for me to sneak into the kitchen after everyone had gone to sleep and whip up a single serving of vegan chocolate cake to satisfy my sweet craving.

After years of sitting on the book shelf, I finally dug out my favorite vegan cookbook the other day so I could revisit my old friend the vegan chocolate cake. I had a hankering for some cake but we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet so I was low on butter, milk, and eggs. So I thought, hey! Why not make a vegan cake? Not only is it a really simple recipe, but it is a perfect recipe to use if you're low on normal baking supplies. Even if you don't follow a vegan diet, this cake is sure to satisfy your sweet chocolate craving.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cider vinegar or wine vinegar
3/4 cup cold water

Mix thoroughly the sugar, cocoa, salt, flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and cold water to the mixture.

Combine well with a fork until smooth, but do not beat.

Pour into two greased sandwich tins (lined if desired) and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool thoroughly.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of vegan margarine or 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 tbs soy milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to a boil slowly, stirring constantly.

Boil for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and beat until cold. Add the vanilla and spread the icing on the cake.

Sandwich the two cakes together with some of the chocolate frosting in between, or you can spread a layer of jam in between the layers for a sweet fruity flavor. I also topped mine off with a little shredded coconut, but that's completely optional.

*Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting. I like to put the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes before frosting to prevent it from crumbling.