Today is Orthodox Christian Palm Sunday, which means that tomorrow starts Great Holy Week. For my family, Holy Week is when we turn Vegetarianism 4.0 into Veganism 4.0 – for the next 6 days, we go without any animal products. (!)
We definitely do not struggle with vegan dinner ideas (thanks for all the input everyone!), but every once in a while (okay, almost every night), I crave a bit of dessert before heading to bed. While we make moustokouloura (Greek vegan cookies), sometimes a girl’s just gotta have something chocolately and rich! And that’s where Wacky Cake comes to the rescue!
I shared these AWESOME vegan chocolate banana nut muffins a while back, but I realized this week that I never shared the original chocolate cake recipe… whoops! This recipe is pretty simple and very popular (the original recipe is from the depression!), with everyone having their slight variation on it. I got my recipe from my church’s cookbook and after a couple tweaks, it has been a saving dessert grace during this Vegetarianism 4.0 journey!
Here is how you make these easiest vegan chocolate cake ever!
Grab a sifter…
… and dump in some flour, some granulated sugar, some salt, and some baking powder. Sift the ingredients together to combine.
You all know that I am kind of lazy when it comes to sifting ingredients (AKA I don’t), but it is really important for this cake! Since there is no eggs in this recipe, the dry ingredients need to be light and airy to allow for the chemical reaction that gives this cake its lift room to do its thing.
So, in short, please sift.
And avoid getting cocoa and flour all over your clothes like I did…
With the dry ingredients sifted, grab a liquid measuring cup.
And measure out some water and canola/vegetable oil (whatever you have).
Then pour in some apple cider vinegar. Yes, this seems like a weird cake ingredient but remember this is a vegan cake! Since there are no eggs in the recipe to provide lift/structure, the cake uses a vinegar-baking soda reaction to give the cake lift (5th grade science for the win!!). This is why we want to sift the dry ingredients – we can better incorporate the baking soda so it can react with the vinegar!
I also added a splash of vanilla to give the cake extra flavor.
Then pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine.
Pour the batter into a greased 9″x9″ pan and evenly spread it out.
Now the cake is amazing all by itself, but sometimes I like to fancy it up a bit. For my family, I decorated the top with some chopped pecans and some mini vegan chocolate chips – use whatever toppings you like!
All that’s left is to pop the cake into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve it up and dig in!
A delicious vegan dessert that everyone will love!
Your vegan bakin’ friend,
Catherine
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup natural cocoa powder (like Hershey's)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional toppings: nuts, vegan chocolate chips, coconut
- Cooking Spray
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x9" square pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread batter out evenly. If you want, add whatever toppings you like (I am a fan of pecans and mini chocolate chips!). Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve up and enjoy with family and friends!
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