Vegan Chocolate Cake

A vegan-friendly chocolate cake that bakes in less than thirty minutes

One of my husband's closest friends is visiting from Minneapolis and we had him, his girlfriend, and another friend over for dinner last night. His girlfriend is vegan, which posed a bit of a challenge when trying to come up with a menu that would satisfy both her and our other meat and dairy-loving eaters. For dinner, I served soba noodles with roasted kale, coconut, and avocado (loosely based on this recipe), which is so uniquely good that I've actually been making it nearly once a week for last few months. Dessert was a little trickier, since almost all baked goods are made with eggs, butter, or both. I could have chosen something light like sorbet or fruit, but I really wanted to round out the meal with something rich and filling after serving a vegetarian entree.

This vegan chocolate cake is lightly adapted from a recipe on Food52. Unlike a lot of vegan dessert recipes that I've seen, this cake doesn't use any fancy powders or butter substitutes and relies on a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. Instead of butter or eggs, the wet ingredients are made up of coffee and coconut oil, which enhance the chocolate flavor and keep the cake moist. I'm not going to claim that it's the best chocolate cake in the world (there's really no substitute for butter), but it's dense and moist and chocolatey and will satisfy a craving. And it's even easier to bake than most normal cakes since it only doesn't require any stand mixers or special equipment and bakes in less than thirty minutes. We served it with some sliced strawberries and were pleasantly surprised with the results.


More Vegan Recipes:
- Curry Coconut Lentil Soup
- Black Sesame & Tofu Soba Noodles
- Tofu & Vegetable Stir-Fry


Vegan Chocolate Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper, then spray the pan and the paper with non-stick spray.
• Sift together 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 generous c. white sugar, 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt into a mixing bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together 1 c. brewed coffee, 5 tbsp. coconut oil,* 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until totally combined and lump-free.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and tap to release any bubbles in the batter.
• Cook the cake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched in the center.
• Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and finish cooling to room temperature.
• Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, slice, and serve.

Serves eight

*If the oil is solid, melt it in the microwave until liquid. Can substitute for any neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed.