Sunday, May 25, 2008

Really Wacky Cake


Chocolate cake that is gluten, egg, and milk free! I was so happy that this cake was a complete success with the GF friends and non-GF friends. It made my birthday celebration very memorable, especially as we ate the cake with the most amazing coconut ice cream. I didn't feel like this birthday was any different from any other. Friends, food, fun; just the way I like it.

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
5 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 Tablespoons canola oil (1/2 cup)
1 1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flours with sugar, cocoa, soda and salt until they are well combined. Make a well in the flour mixture. In a separate bowl mix the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water. Pour this into the well and mix thoroughly. Pour into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack.

P.S. The icing was a Pamela's Vanilla Frosting mix I picked up at New Leaf (and I've seen it at Whole Foods). I can't say that I am a fan of the frosting. Other people liked it. I used coconut oil for the necessary fat. It did taste better the next day, but it was hard to spread and somewhat tasteless other than a very sugary glaze. Next time, I think I'll make an artful dusting with powdered sugar.

Also, I should mention that the picture above requires 2 batches of this recipe. I baked it in a 10-inch round pan. It made a lot of cake, enough for 8 people and leftovers. This cake works better as single, thick cake - sometimes referred to in cookbooks as "picnic cake". It doesn't "do layers" like some cakes that use wheat flour. If you are really wanting to do thin layers with frosting in between, bake it in a single pan and then slice the baked cake. You'll need spatulas, finesse and a sense of humour as this cake is very moist and can break easily doing such maneuvers.

One batch makes 12 nice cupcakes. Use parchment cupcake liners. Bake for 25 minutes.

3 comments:

mamaraby said...

I saw your comment over on my blog about needing to find a good frosting recipe for this cake. I'd suggest the "Creamy Frosting" recipe from Kathy's Recipe Box. I know Turtle Mountain makes a Coconut Milk yogurt, but Kathy also has a recipe in her archives to make a coconut milk yogurt.

I haven't tried the recipe yet, but I think it'd be a great one to try (while still being vegan)!

CoastalCAGardener said...

Strangely enough, I've never seen coconut milk yogurt in our area. And being near Santa Cruz, we sometimes believe we have the edge on most alternative foods. Glad to be proven wrong. I'm going to have to try Kathy's recipe for the "Creamy Frosting" and the "Coconut Milk Yogurt". Thanks for the pointer!

CoastalCAGardener said...

Here's a link to a blog that has a really delicious sounding topping if you like coconut:
Vegan Gluten Free Mounds Cake