One of my favorite dessert recipes is my spin on Wacky Chocolate Cake…
Wacky Chocolate Cake
This cake was born from the Great Depression era times when ingredients like eggs and butter and even milk were scarce and to be used in moderation – or not at all. So this recipe is actually naturally vegan. Pretty cool. It uses water in place of any dairy liquids and it uses the basic combo of baking soda and vinegar to give it it’s signature fluff and sponginess. The water helps to keep the batter light and fluffy as well.
I remember the first time I ever baked this cake was back when I first started my blog and was hired by PCRM to photograph a few recipes. One of them was a classic Wacky Chocolate Cake. I remember being so surprised that such a simple recipe could taste so perfect. I have been fascinated with “Wacky Cake” since then. I love putting my own spin on it..
I put my own spin on things by using coconut sugar as the sweetener and virgin coconut oil as the oil. For the flour, I like to use a hearty pastry four – one with a bit of texture and fiber to it, instead of a basic white flour. The one I used for this recipe is organic whole wheat pastry flour by Arrowhead Mills. You can find it at Whole Foods or Amazon too. I have also used spelt flour. I like melted coconut oil, but something like safflower oil or grapeseed or even extra virgin olive oil might also work.
If you want a unique accent flavor, sub out some of the water for coffee or espresso. You could also play around with adding in chocolate chips or even vegan peanut butter chips! So good.
For the frosting, you can use a few options.
Vegan Frosting Recipes:
– Chocolate frosting
– Vanilla buttercream frosting
– Avocado frosting
– Chocolate ganache
Frosting Color. When it comes to coloring white frosting. I love using natural plant extracts. You can either use natural food coloring like this brand from Amazon – or you can use plants like beets, pitaya, matcha, turmeric, pomegranate, blueberry and more to create natural colors.
Cocoa Powder. I use this cacao from Navitas. But any cocoa powder will work. Just make sure it is unsweetened.
The coolest thing about this recipe is that you don’t even need to use an ‘egg replacer.’ In vegan baking, one main issue of concern is how to replace eggs. Usually a flax egg or applesauce or tofu or even a mashed banana can be used to plump up the fiber and fill out the texture. But the magical thing about this wacky cake is that it is super light and fluffy without the need for those classic vegan substitutions.
Wacky Chocolate Cake
Wacky Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour, (whole wheat pastry flour was used)
- 1 tbsp flour, (whole wheat pastry flour was used)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 4 tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted but still room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup chocolate or vegan peanut butter chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line with baking cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and coconut sugar. Stir until combined.
- Make two small wells in the flour and add the vinegar in one and the vanilla extract in another. Pour the water over top. Whisk everything together very briskly so that a fluffy batter is achieved.
- Pour the melted oil in. Continue briskly whisking.
- Fill the muffin tin with the batter and place in the oven.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes, or until fluffy and shiny on top. You want the cupcakes to be springy when finished baking.
- Remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool in the pan for five minutes before removing and cooling on a cooling rack. Cool for another hour or so if adding frosting.
nutrition estimate | per serving
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