The BEST chocolate cake ever...that happens to be VEGAN. I kid you not!

Step 3 Bake!

Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely (2 hours).

Comments

[mentalmystics]

my cake "batter" is very watery, is it supposed to be like that? it literally looks just like water with some cocoa in it.

[aliciak]

Yep, it's pretty watery...

[mentalmystics]

it doesn't turn out right :(
it's crumby and falls apart.

[aliciak]

Did you follow the recipe to the letter, measuring everything out? I've made this cake many times...and the 200+ commenters here can attest to its perfection!

[mentalmystics]

yeah, i did everything, and i tried a similar recipe that had the measurements just a little different but that didn't work either, maybe it's my ingredients or oven. i'm using organic sugar that's a bit coarser and doesn't really dissolve well and a brown rice flower but the other recipe says i can use that kind of flower.

[lwong5]

Mine was too and the only thing I can think of was that I think I accidentally used apple cider vinegar that was not distilled which sucks because it literally came out like water and I still put it into the pan and now it just looks like a flat crispy chocolate... something! =( I didn't realize the distilled part would make such a difference!

[pear jam]

The vinegar really does not make a difference. Acidity level of most apple cider vinegar and most distilled vinegar are close enough that the extent of the reaction with the baking soda will be similar enough to use either in this recipe. I used red wine vinegar and the cake came out great. If your cake came out flat then some possibilities are that the batter was over mixed or left out too long before baking, or a mis-measurement of the baking soda. Or as your comment indicates, the batter, for whatever reason, was just too watery. Except for the vinegar substitution and reduction of the sugar by 1/2, I followed the recipe as written and my batter was more like a thin cake batter, but no where near watery.

[mbelan]

I wonder also if it might be old baking powder. Often we buy baking powder but it sits around a long time and becomes ineffective.

To test baking powder's effectiveness: mix 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder with 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water and the mixture should bubble immediately. Store in a cool dry place and it should be replaced every 6-12 months.

To test baking soda's effectiveness: mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar and the mixture should bubble immediately.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/bakingsoda.html#ixzz1fTvPxLM7

[kstaten1]

Add some Xanthan gum? That is what I use in my gluten free recipes as a binder. Are you gluten free?

[Stacey G]

If you use xanthan gum, it won't be vegan... I think rice flour is gluten free, so probably you would have to choose in this casem either gluten-free or vegan.

[kstaten1]

Most xanthan gum actually is vegan. You just have to get it from the right place, and be sure they cultured it on corn sugar and not lactose.

[hdefiglio]

Rice flour will not work. Without any eggs, the gluten that develops from mixing the flour with wet ingredients is the only binder that will hold this cake together. Rice flour has no gluten, thus the cake has nothing to hold it together and it falls apart as you note. If you use a good all purpose flour, the recipe should work.

[anicolaisen]

My first attempt at vegan baking and I cannot tell you how many compliments and requests fr the recipe I received, good work! I used Justins Chocolate Almond Butter as the frosting and it was a perfect match.

[khumphrey3]

Thank you for truly the best vegan chocolate recipe I've tried to date! It is my new favorite. I made it exactly as the recipe indicated except I substituted 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour and used just 1 cup of all purpose. I think the difference was probably negligible but I always try to sneak in some whole grains everywhere I can. I used a round baking pan, and baked it for five minutes less (my oven runs hot) and it was pure perfection!!! I made this last night and I'm ashamed to admit I only have one piece left today, it is THAT good! I'm not normally a cake person but this one is just so flavorful, a rich chocolate flavor that is not too sweet, and it was so dense and moist (but not too dense, still felt like a cake texture not a brownie). LOVED it! Thanks again.

[aliciak]

Yay!!!! I am not a cake person either, so yes, I feel like you and I are the best "testers" of such recipes. I'm with ya on the grain-sneaking. :)

[sathidevius]

can i use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour

[aliciak]

 Hmm I have never tried it. Sometimes using very wheat-heavy (unrefined) flour can make baked goods really dense. Usually I go half and half and see how it turns out...so half, whole wheat pastry and half all purpose.

[kimbo29]

Is it necessary to grease the baking dish... I'm serving a party of 16-20 and was hoping to double the recipe and icing and stack the cakes, ever tried that and do you think it would work just as well?

[aliciak]

It isn't necessary, but normally I'm just cutting it straight out of the pan/dish to serve. If you're going to do layers, then I would grease it and mix it in a separate bowl like you normally would. I haven't done layers, but I think it would work, yes!