Vegan Chocolate Cake

Cakes are for celebrating. In college, I saw this quote that said, "when in doubt, celebrate everything." I wrote it on a post-it note, & still have that same post-it on my bedside table today. It's so easy to get lost in the worries of the everyday. Easy to forget that life's just supposed to be fun & joyous & full of creativity & growth.

So one day, I wanted to make a chocolate cake just because. This recipe was that cake. I made the cake, brought it over to my brother's apartment to share. It was wonderful. A celebration on an otherwise ordinary Thursday.

R E C I P E

cake ingredients:

2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

frosting ingredients:

12 ounces of extra-firm tofu

1 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons agave (or honey, or maple syrup)

1/3 cup nut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (i like guittard)

directions:

C A K E

• Preheat the oven 350 degrees

• Spray 2 8" cake pans with cooking spray (at the time I only had one pan, so I had to make each layer, let it cool then redo it. I have invested in another pan...blessed)

• In a small bowl, mix apple cider vinegar & the nondairy milk (this is the vegan version of a buttermilk) it will curdle, this is good

• Add sugar, oil, & vanilla in a large bowl & mix. Add in the "buttermilk" mixture after a few minutes of letting it sit.

• In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Flour, cacao powder, baking powder & sea salt.

• Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Do this slowly! Whisk well every time you add a bit of dry ingredients. 4 separate batches should do it. Mix until batter is smooth & luscious.

• Eyeball the batter in half & separate into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

• Let it cool completely.

• Tor-Tip: Make your cake the night before you want to frost. It's so much easier to frost a frozen cake. Freeze those guys once the cakes are completely cooled from the oven. The following day, make the frosting and frost & decorate.

F R O S T I N G

• BLEND (or food process) tofu, coconut (full fat) milk, agave (or maple syrup/honey), nut butter, vanilla, & salt. (Doesn't this feel weird?? Blending up some tofu? It's ok, it'll taste divine).

• After that is completely smooth, start melting the chocolate. You can do it in a microwave (30 second intervals) or a double boiler. I recommend the double boiler (i've burnt A LOT of chocolate by microwaving, so just keep your eyes on it).

• Once melted, add the chocolate to the tofu mixture & blend again. Use the spatula to ensure everything is combined.

• Put mixture in a bowl & leave in fridge to chill for an hour. It'll thicken. If it seems too thick, just leave it room temp for a bit & it should be fine.

• Once frosting is made, start putting together that cake!

• Use a spatula/cake knife to layer the frosting on top of the first layer, add the second cake layer & frost the remaining part of the cake.

• Chill in the fridge for an hour & celebrate.