I’m back! I know that it’s been a while, but I am committed to posting regularly again. I missed writing and sharing things here on the blog so I am excited to get back into it- and what better way to kick things off than with a recipe for something near and dear to my heart: chocolate cake!
But this isn’t just any ol’ cake recipe: it’s vegan, meaning there’s no animal by-products, but that doesn’t mean it skimps on flavor! Many people around the world are making the switch to veganism, or at least reducing their animal product intake. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Americans eat, on average, 270 pounds of meat per year- which is more than double the USDA recommended maximum protein consumption of 125 pounds per year (Thug Kitchen).
Because we are so focused on getting our protein in, we often neglect the other essentials our bodies need; such as fruit, veggies and whole grains. A research study conducted at the University of Southern California found that “people with diets rich in animal proteins were four times more likely than those who ate less of it to die of cancer (Thug Kitchen).”
I, personally, am not vegan nor am I vegetarian. However, I sometimes eat meals that happen to be vegan or, at least, vegetarian. But I also love a good grilled NY Strip steak or a creamy Alfredo sauce loaded with cheese (and I look forward to sharing a wide variety of these recipes with you here). Regardless of what dietary title you give yourself, I think we should all be striving for a balanced diet. Similarly to experimenting with new recipes, finding the optimal balanced diet that works for you takes a lot of trial and error. This is something that I’ll elaborate on in a future post- but today, we’re just gonna talk cake!
What this cake lacks in animal products it makes up for in flavor! I was so impressed with the texture and moistness (is that a word? I’m going with it!) of this cake. It satisfies the sweet-tooth without compromising the waist-line (no butter!).
I topped this cake with a rich homemade dark chocolate ganache (NOT vegan) because, well, I watch a lot of Food Network and wanted to give it a go. And so I chose to make a one layer cake so that it would be the perfect ratio of cake to ganache; but, of course, to make a traditional two layer cake, you’d just double the recipe!
I will provide the ganache recipe I used, but if you’d like to make a vegan frosting, check out this post on Healthy Holistic Living, which is also where I found the original recipe for this cake.
This is a long post already- I guess I’m just that excited to be back! Enough chatter; let’s get into it!
Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 Tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 ripe avocado, mashed
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour one 9-inch cake pan. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, avocado, water, white vinegar and vanilla until smooth. Once combined, whisk in the sugar.
- Pour wet olive oil mixture into the dry flour mixture and mix until well-combined and smooth. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use a butter knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and gently transfer cake to a plate or serving tray. Wait an additional 15-20 minutes before adding ganache or frosting, or enjoy as-is!
Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe (NOT vegan)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Heat the heavy cream in a small pot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. In a separate, heat-safe mixing bowl, add the chocolate chips and butter. Bring the heavy cream to a slight boil and remove it from the heat. Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips and stir until both chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour ganache over desired cake and set it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or until the ganache has cooled.
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this recipe at home, tag me @kelseyathome on Instagram and Twitter. Until next time! Xx
Love & light,
Kelsey
Sources
Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook. N.p.: Rodale, 2014. Print.
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