This quick and easy cake recipe is inspired by Moosewood Restaurant. It is not only vegan, but is mess-free and delicious too! To begin you will need:

1 1/2 unbleached white flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I'm using grape seed oil because it has a more mild taste)

1 cup cold water (you can also use brewed coffee)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (I'm adding 1 tsp of mint extract to give it the mint twist!)

2 tablespoons vinegar

and an 8" by 8" baking pan

Step 1: Step One: Mixing the Dry Ingrediants

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees!

Then, in the baking pan, mix together:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

and 1 cup sugar.

Mix until well combined

Step 2: Step Two: Mixing in the Wet Ingredients

In a two cup measuring cup add:

1 cup cold water or brewed coffee

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Then, pour them into the dry ingredients (in the pan) and mix until combined.

Step 3: Step Three: Adding the Vinegar

It may sound odd to put vinegar in a cake, but it works! The chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar creates a fluffy texture. Be sure to do this quickly, lest you risk mixing out all the bubbles and end up with a dense cake.

After I add the vinegar I like to use paper towel to wipe excess batter away from the edges so it doesn't burn and it gives a cleaner look.

Step 4: Step Four: Bake the Cake

Once you have combined the vinegar (it's okay if there are light swirls), put the cake in the oven at 375 degrees, starting with 30-35 minutes. Test the cake by checking whether a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean, if not then put it back in the oven. Then, test every five minutes or so until baked all the way through.