Chocolate Cake with Berry Filling - Vegan

An incredibly simple and delicious chocolate cake. Moist, light and soy-free if you say so.



Basic Chocolate Cake
makes one 8-inch round layer cake or 2 dozen standard cupcakes

2.25 C AP flour
.75 C cocoa powder (a blend of dutch and regular rocks)
1 T baking powder
.25 t ground cinnamon

.5 C canola oil
1 2/3 C sugar

.5 t apple cider vinegar
2 C non-dairy milk*, measured over the vinegar
1 T vanilla extract

*coconut milk works quite well, but a blend of soy and almond milks is fantastic

Preheat the oven to 350 and oil two 8-inch round pans or line pans for 2 dozen cupcakes.


Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, powder, cinnamon and pepper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the oil and sugar until lighter in color and texture, scraping the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low speed, incorporate the flour mixture; process until well combined, scraping the bowl once. Add the milk mixture and vanilla and mix on low, scraping the bowl once, until well integrated.

Portion into pans and bake 30-40 minutes for rounds, 22-26 minutes for cupcakes. The cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pans 15 minutes, cupcake pans 5 minutes, before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.



Chocolate Coating


5 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
6 fl oz non-dairy milk

1 t vanilla extract

Combine chocolates in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the milk to boiling in the microwave and pour over chocolate. Stir just to distribute the milk through the chocolate pieces and let stand, without stirring further, for 5 minutes. Starting in the center, stir the chocolate into the milk until the mixture begins to become cohesive. Increase stirring radius to homogenize the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Let cool til slightly thickened but not set before using.

Assembling the cake

1 recipe basic chocolate cake, baked in 8-inch rounds, sliced to level as needed
(if you prepared as 2 rounds, split to make 4, prepared as 3 rounds, let them be)
.5-.75C raspberry-blackberry preserves (depending on number of layers)
1 recipe chocolate coating, cooled slightly

Place one layer of cake, cut side up, on serving platter. Spread .25C of preserves evenly over cake, stopping about .25-inch short of the edge all around. Place second layer on top of coated first. Repeat the application of preserves on this round once or twice more, depending on layer number, taking care to position the final layer cut side down. The final layer should not have preserves on top.

Pour the chocolate coating onto the center of the top layer, letting the chocolate distribute itself over the cake. Egg on as needed, but do not overwork the coating. Wipe excess coating from servign platter as desired.

If desired, let the leftover coating set further until it is pipable and use a paper cone to decorate the cake top.

Lori's Zucchini Bread - Vegan

This bread has been in the family for quite some time now, and the end of summer seemed a good time for veganisation. That, and I was jonesing for the deliciously moist and sweet top crust.



3 C AP flour
1.25 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon

2 C sugar
2/3 C oil
1 t salt

6 T flaxseed meal
.5 C water
1 T vanilla
.25 C non-dairy milk

2 C finely shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans (preferrably glass) with non-stick cooking spray.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk together the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the oil, sugar and salt until lighter in color and somewhat fluffy. With mixer on low speed, beat in the flaxseed mixture, vanilla and milk. Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add the zucchini and beat 1 minute on medium-low speed.

Divide mixture evenly between prepared pans and bake, 40-60 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.



The mixing method described above works just fine; however, I've been using another method I brought home from work. Once I determine the legality of sharing it, I shall.

Brownie Development

The time has come to create my own vegan brownie recipe, fed up as I am with oily, fruity, over-moist concoctions lovingly called "fudgey brownies". So, I've consulted several sources, vegan and non, and noted their recipes and methods on a notebook page. From them I've gleaned a working recipe on which I can improve to create a moist, chewy, chocolately brownie that resisted the pitfalls of its vegan brethren.

I'm close, very close to the perfect chewy/fudgey brownie recipe. When it is complete, Cakey will be up next, along with the elusive and delicious Blondie bar.


The Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Oil a 8 x 8-inch pan. Lay a wide strip of parchment accross pan so that it covers the bottom of the pan as well as two opposing sides. Lightly oil the parchment and set the pan aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and pepper and set aside.

Chop the unsweeted chocolate well and combine with oil and cocoa powder in a medium, microwave safe bowl. Nuke at high power in 20 second intervals, stirring well after each with a spatula, until almost melted and stir until smooth - the carryover heat with resolve any lumps. Set aside to cool slightly

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, salt, milk and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture in three batches, mixing until combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 40 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool, in pan, 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

The Recipes


Brownies 1.0
3T oil
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
.25 C cocoa powder
.5 C non-dairy milk
.25 t salt
1.5 C sugar
2 t vanilla
1 C flour
.25 t powder
pinch white pepper

pros: rich, chocolately, not oily

cons: too dark and dense, not sweet enough, poor mouth-feel

resolve: decrease unsweetened chocolate, melt more carefully to prevent burning, increase sugar content.

Brownies 2.0
.25 C oil
3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
.25 C cocoa
.25 t salt
1.75 C sugar
.5 C non-dairy milk
1 T vanilla
.5 C unbleached AP flour
.5 C whole wheat white flour (or AP flour)
.5 t baking powder
pinch white pepper

pros: rich, moist verging on fudgey, not oily, a good balance of dark chocolate and sweetness

cons: an odd bottom crust, slightly too moist center – increased sugar content = candylike composition as opposed to cakelike? used foil rather than parchment - wonked the temperature?
resolve: improve creaming method, decrease milk slightly, use parchment


Brownies 3.0
.25 C oil
3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
.25 C cocoa
.25 t salt
1.75 C sugar
6 T non-dairy milk
1 T vanilla
.5 C unbleached AP flour
.5 C whole wheat white flour (or AP flour)
.5 t baking powder
pinch white pepper

untested

Mixing Methods - Cookies

In all formulas, it is essential that all ingredients be scaled/measured as accurately as possible and that they be at room temperature. Refrigerated items can be safely left out at room temperature for up to 2 hours to come to temperature.

Measure ingredients, prepare pans and being preheating oven before beginning mixing.


Creaming Method with Oil

Stir together flour and other dry ingredients, excluding salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed or commercial egg replacer and water; if using yogurt, leave aside; if using eggs, break into small bowl and whisk with a fork just to break yolks, set aside.

With a paddle attachment, beat together fat, sugars and salt in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed until lighter in color and finer in texture, about 4-8 minutes; taste the mixture for doneness – it should be just a mite grainy and the sugar should crunch only slightly. If melted chocolate is being used, it may be added during this stage.



Reduce mixer speed to low and add any liquid flavorings (extracts). With mixer running, slowly add flax/replacer mixture/yogurt/eggs. Mix until just combined. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl.



With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, waiting until each is just combined before adding the next. Scrape bowl in between additions.



If using, stir in mix-ins in one or two batches, according to recipe.



Chill, if necessary, portion, bake and cool.