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Dairy- (and Egg-) Free Chocolate Cake (2 Recipes)
I have seen too many people bemoaning the scarcity of eggs and butter and the constraints it poses upon baking. Here you go.
This is from the 75th Anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking, p. 723 (the edition after the one that the publishers ruined by gutting it, the one that restored the heart of the book).
I have made this cake many times and thanks to the oil it remains moist several days longer than other cakes do. We also usually don't bother taking the cake out of the pan, cutting and serving from there like brownies.
This next recipe is similar, but not quite. It's from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, pg.424
Notes for both:
If you've got a 9-inch square pan, cut down the baking time and check frequently; same with 8-inch or 9-inch round pans, although start checking those even earlier. I've found success in wadding up foil to make a large pan smaller and then lining it with more foil to make an 8-inch foil-lined pan out of a 9" x 13 pan.
You could also frost it with Quick Cookie Icing, flavored with coffee, rum or brandy (Quick Cookie Icing is stirring powdered sugar with water a small bit at a time until it reaches a consistency you like; they say 4 cups [1 lb] powdered sugar to 3-4 Tb water, but I'd start with half or a quarter of that and keep adding until it looked like I had enough).
You could also cover the top with jam/preserves/jelly--strawberry, apricot, or raspberry should go well with chocolate, as should orange marmalade. Or make a glaze by heating jam and 1 Tb water (or a complementary liqueur like Grand Marnier) until it melts into liquid and straining any lumps out. Brush it over the cake with a pastry brush.
If you're feeling fancy and happen to have cream and chocolate chips, put 1 cup chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and 1/2 cup cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it, 30 seconds at a time and stirring after each stint, just until the chocolate melts into the cream. Wait a few minutes for it to thicken to a good pouring consistency and pour over the cake. If you're feeling really fancy, brush the cake with a jam glaze first and then pour the chocolate over it. I have heard that you can make chocolate ganache with soy milk or coconut cream. A pinch of espresso powder (or very finely ground coffee) will oomph up the chocolate flavor a great deal.
This is from the 75th Anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking, p. 723 (the edition after the one that the publishers ruined by gutting it, the one that restored the heart of the book).
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 Tb sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tb white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended. Add the wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Scrape into the pan and spread evenly.
Bake about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.
Serve plain, dusted with powdered sugar if you'd like.
I have made this cake many times and thanks to the oil it remains moist several days longer than other cakes do. We also usually don't bother taking the cake out of the pan, cutting and serving from there like brownies.
This next recipe is similar, but not quite. It's from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, pg.424
Deep Chocolate Vegan Cake
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or chilled brewed coffee
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tb cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil an 8-inch square or round baking pan and dust with a little sifted cocoa or line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, stir all the liquid ingredients EXCEPT the vinegar together. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended and smooth.
Add the vinegar and stir briefly; the baking soda will being to react with the vinegar right away, leaving pale swirls in the batter. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes. Serve right from the pan or transfer to a plate when it's cool.
Notes for both:
If you've got a 9-inch square pan, cut down the baking time and check frequently; same with 8-inch or 9-inch round pans, although start checking those even earlier. I've found success in wadding up foil to make a large pan smaller and then lining it with more foil to make an 8-inch foil-lined pan out of a 9" x 13 pan.
You could also frost it with Quick Cookie Icing, flavored with coffee, rum or brandy (Quick Cookie Icing is stirring powdered sugar with water a small bit at a time until it reaches a consistency you like; they say 4 cups [1 lb] powdered sugar to 3-4 Tb water, but I'd start with half or a quarter of that and keep adding until it looked like I had enough).
You could also cover the top with jam/preserves/jelly--strawberry, apricot, or raspberry should go well with chocolate, as should orange marmalade. Or make a glaze by heating jam and 1 Tb water (or a complementary liqueur like Grand Marnier) until it melts into liquid and straining any lumps out. Brush it over the cake with a pastry brush.
If you're feeling fancy and happen to have cream and chocolate chips, put 1 cup chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and 1/2 cup cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it, 30 seconds at a time and stirring after each stint, just until the chocolate melts into the cream. Wait a few minutes for it to thicken to a good pouring consistency and pour over the cake. If you're feeling really fancy, brush the cake with a jam glaze first and then pour the chocolate over it. I have heard that you can make chocolate ganache with soy milk or coconut cream. A pinch of espresso powder (or very finely ground coffee) will oomph up the chocolate flavor a great deal.