Celebrate Chocolate Cake! (Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free Option)
We have called this ‘celebrate chocolate cake’, because though the roots of this recipe comes from being made during the great depression (back in the 1930s) when items like eggs, milk, and butter were scarce, for those of us who can’t eat those ingredients now, this cake is definitely worth celebrating!
Now when it comes to chocolate cake, our family has a pretty famous recipe which my mother and grandmother used to make, and in my opinion it was THE perfect chocolate cake. Nothing ever really compared, and every time any of us would eat someone else's chocolate cake, we would all still agree - 'Grandma's is still the best!' So if I was going to make a chocolate cake it had to live up to that recipe (big shoes I know). But it so did! The cake was rich, light and moist (even when made gluten free), and when I teamed it with a dairy free variation for the coffee spiked frosting (another famous part to the famous family recipe), even my mother said ‘Wow!’ When she tried it! Win!
It is allergy friendly, easy to make, and fills you with all the chocolate cake eating joy! It is perfect on its own, or enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (and mash it up before eating it - well that is how my Grandpa and I would like it).
What You Will Need:
Cake
- 1 1/2 Cups Flour (Gluten free option - us the same amount of GF Flour Mix. Bob's Red Mill brand has a perfect 1 to 1 baking flour if you don't make your own)
- 3 Tablespoons Raw Cacao
- 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 5 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Water
Frosting
- 1/3 Cup Raw Cacao
- 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar*
- 1/4 Cup Dairy Free Shortening**
- 2-3 Tablespoons Strong Brewed Coffee (Decaf can also be used to impart the flavour)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 175 C.
Grease a standard 8” (20 cm) cake tin. We also recommend when baking cakes to line just the bottom of the tin with baking paper to make sure it comes out of tine clean.
Combine all dry ingredients together.
Add the Coconut Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and Vanilla Extract, then pour the water over mixture.
Stir all ingredients together until completely mixed through.
Bake for approx. 30-35 mins. It will be important to check cake during cooking as baking times might slightly vary from oven to oven.
Let cool down completely before frosting.
For frosting, place all ingredients in a deep mixing bowl, and with an electric hand mixer starting on low setting (just to make sure the cacao and sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl J). Mix until mixture is light and fluffy.
There is enough frosting to frost one cake, though the recipe for the both the cake and frosting can be doubled if you were wanting to make an extra special layered cake for birthdays etc.
*If you have a high powered food processor or thermomix you can make your own powdered sugar from raw sugar. Place 1 cup of sugar in the thermomix on speed 9 for 30 secs or until finely milled
**The dairy free shortening used is the Nutiva brand which is made of organic, free trade, sustainable red palm oil, and coconut oil. It can be used to replace butter in baking or frying. It is now readily available from places like Mrs Flannerys, Wrays Organics or Fundies.
Oh and these work perfectly as cupcakes too!!