One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake

I have a baking ego.  

I don't know where it came from. For some odd reason though I think I can drastically change a recipe (a.k.a. substitute half of the ingredients in the recipe for different ingredients that I deem "healthier") and still achieve the same result.  

It never works.  

Thankfully, I still learn a lot in the process and have even had accidents turn into masterpieces. Like this Vegan Chocolate Cake. It was my friends birthday a week ago and we invited her and her husband over for some birthday dessert. I asked her what her favorite flavors and/or desserts were and she mentioned brownies and ice cream.  

While she and her husband aren't vegan, they have been in the past and often eat vegetarian meals. Any time we have them over I take advantage of trying out new vegan dishes, because I know that they don't mind meatless meals. More importantly, whenever we have anyone over for dinner I always like to make a vegan dessert. That way I don't sit there awkwardly watching everyone else eat their dessert while they wonder if I have a thing against chocolate. That will never happen.   

So for my friends birthday dessert I wanted to make vegan brownies. I also wanted the ingredients to be ones that I felt good about putting in my body. There are tons of vegan brownie recipes out there that call for two cups of sugar and a cup of oil and I'd rather just not go there. So after a bit of searching I found a recipe that used whole wheat flour, avocado and a little bit of olive oil. I didn't have an avocado on hand so I used unsweetened applesauce instead. I also wanted these brownies to be made only with agave nectar instead of white and brown sugar, so I cut out the white and brown sugar and replace some of the wet ingredients with agave. The batter tasted great and it wasn't as runny as some other brownie batters I've made in the past, so I was feeling optimistic.   

When I checked on the "brownies" close to when they were supposed to be done I realized that they had risen a lot and that it was looking and feeling more like a cake. Whoops. I figured I would just roll with it, whip up some type of frosting or glaze to pour on top and call it a night. I remembered that my mom used to always make this ah-maaaaazing chocolate sauce using milk, chocolate chips and vanilla so I thought I'd make it using vegan ingredients and pour it on top of the cake.  

Oh. My. Goodness. The result was one decadent, rich chocolate cake. I didn't want my piece to end! Everyone thought it was a hit and my friend didn't care in the slightest that it wasn't brownies.   

Failure turned success. Finally.  

  Vegan Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing (Serves 8)   Ingredients:  

• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1 batch Vegan Fudge Sauce or icing of choice

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the applesauce and olive oil until smooth. 
3. Add in the remaining wet ingredients (until vanilla) and mix until combined.
4. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, soda, starch and salt and stir until you get a thick batter.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. My edges cooked quicker so make sure you check the center of the cake!
7. Let the cake cool, remove from the pan and top with Easy Vegan Fudge Sauce.
8. Cut and dig in!

Eat Consciously,  

Faith