The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake

Jerry and I celebrated our anniversary recently, so I was in search for a delicious, healthy, VEGAN cake recipe. I made a vegan carrot cake for his birthday and it was pretty gross. So, I thought I'd go for chocolate, because it's easy enough. I didn't want just easy. I wanted simple because I am also working as I'm baking this darn cake.

Thank goodness! I found the best recipe for vegan cake! Thanks to The Minimalist Baker, this recipe will be my go-to recipe going forward. Not only was the cake delicious, the frosting was too. It was everything she said it would be. 

Tender.
Fluffy.
Chocolatey.
Sweet.
Moist.
Decadent.
Generously frosted.

... And perfect with a scoop of soy ice-cream.

It was the first time I used the letters & numbers silicone baking molds - a Christmas gift to myself. I had create the + and + signs from another letter. It all worked out pretty good in the end. J was super impressed.

Here's the batter:

Here are the letters and numbers out of the mold:

I didn't feel like the hood in the "J" was long enough, so I added a piece to it:

 I have to say, I thought frosting the 6 would be the toughest, but it was actually the + sign that ended up being the most challenging. I frosted each letter or number individually, then very carefully added them to the platter.

Until I finished my little message:

Here's a link to her recipe, but I also copied everything here for your (and my) convenience. Just follow the instructions. I will not steer you wrong!

ONE BOWL VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

PREP TIME
15 mins
COOK TIME
25 mins
TOTAL TIME
40 mins

One bowl vegan chocolate cake made in 1 hour with simple ingredients. A two layer, buttercream-frosted cake that's moist, fluffy and rich with chocolate flavor.

Author: Minimalist Baker
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups original unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk
• 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce*
• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or sub more almond milk)
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil, or sub grape seed or canola oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups cane sugar (or sub granulated sugar)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup (16 Tbsp) vegan butter, softened
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ~1/4 cup unsweetened original Almond Breeze Almond Milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray 2 8-inch round cake pans or one large rectangular pan with nonstick spray (see notes for cooking times for different size pans). Dust with cocoa powder, shake out the excess and set aside.
2. Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let set for a few minutes to activate. Add the oil, coffee, vanilla extract, and applesauce and beat until foamy.
3. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed, adding more sugar if desired (I found it plenty sweet).
4. Divide batter evenly between your 2 cake pans or rectangular pan.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
6. While cooling, prepare frosting by beating together all ingredients until light and fluffy, adding the powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. If it becomes too thick, add more almond milk. If it's too thin, add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
7. Once the cake is cooled, frost generously with buttercream frosting, adding a thick layer between the top and bottom layers (if doing a 2-layer cake). Alternatively, omit the frosting and dust with cocoa powder.
8. Serve with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce, coconut whipped cream or a glass of almond milk!

He ate the "N" and I ate the "J" (well, he also ate the + and one of the = signs).

Ohhhh....the frosting!!!! Was incredibly yummy. Seriously. It was delicious! Try it yourself. I WILL NOT STEER YOU WRONG!

Hazelnut & Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe and instructions from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

3/4 + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1/2 hazelnut and chocolate spread (aka Nutella)
shelled hazelnuts (optional for decorating)

hazelnut & chocolate frosting
2 cups confectioner's sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/3 cup hazelnut and chocolate spread (aka Nutella)

Make batter:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and butter in mixer and beat on slow until you get a sandy consistency.

2. Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrap any unmixed ingredients from the side of bowl).

3. Spoon the batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before placing on wire rack to cool completely.

4. When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the center of each one and fill with a dollop of hazelnut and chocolate spread.

For the hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

1. Beat the confectioner's sugar and butter together in a mixer on med-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes). The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

2. Stir in the hazelnut and chocolate spread by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting.

3. Spoon frosting on top of cupcakes and decorate with hazelnuts (I used a piping bag and pink sprinkles).

Chocolate Macarons: Success

I was excited and a bit nervous about making chocolate macarons because all the blogs I read told me it would take many tries to get them right.  But, I decided to follow David Lebovitz's recipe, and am very happy with the result :) of the macarons.  The macarons taste great with the texture I was hoping to achieve, so overall this recipe was a success.  The chocolate filling also came out great, but it took a while to thicken up.  So delicious!

I wasn't sure how they would turn out when I piped them onto the baking sheet (I wasn't very confident about the placement):

I only have one baking sheet (need to buy more), so I used some thin cake pans for the rest of the batter and they ran into one another:

I ate one of the "bad" ones and it was delish, hehe.  Today was a good baking day!

Valentine's Day Dinner

The Menu

Shrimp Salad with Tarragon-Citrus Dressing
Filet Mignon with Herb-and-Cheese Potatoes
Rice Pilaf with Chicken & Pine Nuts
Grilled Asparagus
Molten Mocha Cakes















Recipes from Martha Stewart, I didn't have time to plan the meal because of work. But, I have to say, everything turned out perfect! It was delicious :)