Okay, I’ve had lots of people ask me for vegan chocolate cake recipes for their wheat-free, dairy free, egg free & soy free family members. I’ve included variations for vanilla and banana cake, below. So this is my favourite recipe… It’s yummy, moist very importantly tastes similar to ‘normal’ cake. And it’s very easy.

WHEAT, DAIRY, EGG & SOY FREE (CHOCOLATE) CAKE

Makes: 12 cupcakes or a 9×9 inch cake.

Firstly – pre-heat your oven to 180°c.

Grease your cake pan (s) with coconut oil, hemp seed oil or other allergy safe fat. Butter is a heat-safe fat if you can tolerate it.

INGREDIENTS

200g flour, I like spelt flour and you can use this if you’re avoiding wheat, (Spelt is an ancient form of wheat, therefore it still contains GLUTEN**).
120g coconut palm sugar* (or sugar if you have nothing else)
30g cocoa powder (omit for vanilla sponge & add an extra tsp of vanilla extract).
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
115g coconut oil or dairy free spread
350ml water

Sieve your dry ingredients, add the wet ones and pour into your greased cake tin. Bake cupcakes for 15 mins, or 35-40 minutes for a large cake – or until the cake springs back to the touch or when a knife comes out clean, voila! Yes, it’s that fast people! Decorate with strawberries and blueberries. If nuts aren’t a problem for your party guests, some walnuts go well with the fruit and especially well with the banana cake.

To make a vegan banana cake, take out the cocoa powder and add a not too green mashed banana. For a plain vanilla cake, add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.

*Coconut palm sugar – why do I use this instead of ‘normal’ sugar? Well, its not refined and bleached like your regular white sugar; it actually contains nutrients like magnesium, potassium and iron! (Helping cake be good for you!) Biona Organic do a good one – sold in health food shops like Fairhaven Wholefoods in Letchworth and is also available from Ocado.

**If you’re a coeliac, then of course you will need to use an alternative four such as almond flour, coconut flour, quinoa flour.

DAIRY-FREE & EGG-FREE ‘BUTTER’ ICING

30g chilled dairy-free spread such as ‘Pure’ – see above
30g chilled shortening (I’m currently using Trex, available in major supermarkets. I’m not a fan of shortening &I use icing sugar so rarely… but if anyone has any healthier ideas, I’m all ears).
125g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine your margarine / spread and shortening using a mixer, in a chilled bowl. Add the vanilla extract and then slowly add the icing sugar until you have a firm-ish consistency.

Enjoy!