How fortuitous--that I could be both cheap and lazy, all while being supportive of a cruelty-free culinary movement. I would win the alliance of every vegan at the party for which I'd decided to bake a cake, all while saving money AND having a good time.
Additionally--basic vegan cakes are the same risk level of basic cakes that use dairy, in that they require the same basic skills and procedures, and are probably going to turn out edible.
Tonight, I find myself in a similar position: Cheap, lazy, and headed to a party. What to do?
I KNOW!!! VEGAN CAKE!!!!
Even worse, I'm using Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of a more neutral tasting "Vegetable Oil", and actual, Balsamic Vinegar--yes--instead of the standard neutral white vinegar that is often recommended for vegan cakes. Because that's what's in my cabinet, so too. damn. bad.
Here's the special thing about MY balsamic Vinegar however: it's ridiculously sweet. it's almost drinkable by the glass, and, you may notice, organic.
Yeah, I did some pretty weird shit--I'm like the Miles Davis of cooking. No one performance can be duplicated. Here's what I did with THIS cake:
Balsamic Chocolate Cake with Treacle Glaze.
CAKE
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 tsp salt (I used black hawaiian salt)
1/4 cup raw organic cacao powder
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup hot water (I had some balsamic violet tea bags from EATALY so I thought "Wow-this says 'Balsamic' on it too--I'm sure it will work with the recipe." And it DID.)
1 tbsp Treacle
1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I used Si Cafe, a Dominican brand that is sold in my neighborhood)
GLAZE (It's a good idea to use glaze with Vegan cakes because they dry out quicker. Glaze keeps the cake moist and adds a boost of sweetness)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp treacle
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
Preheat Oven to 350 Farenheit.
(If you feel like adding some weirdness, take your one cup water, heat it, and steep 1 bag of lavender or violet tea in it for 5-10 minutes.)
Make the Cake: Sift together the dry ingredients--or, as I haven't a sifter, place them in a large bowl, and use a whisk to mix the particles together, until it appears homogenous. A sifter has a much better result, however.
Take the one cup water (or tea), and stir in the treacle until dissolved. Add vinegar and oil.
Gradually blend the liquid into the flour mixture with a spatula.
Take a cake pan (Or as I used, my trusty Giant Eagle Supermarket brand non stick pie pan from 1984 that is probably leaking cancer by now), grease with olive oil , and then flour. You can also parchment the pan, then grease and flour the parchment.
I moved the rack to the top of the oven, but every oven is different. I'm still exploring mine since I moved to this apartment in May and haven't baked much since. The texture turned out well.
Pour batter into the pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
When cake is finished, remove from oven and set to cool. I actually put another upside down pan or bowl on top of vegan cake while it cools to help seal in moisture, because the vegan cakes dry out more easily.
After the cake has cooled for at least 30 minutes, loosen the edges from the pan with a knife and gently flip it onto a platter. I was an Impatient-Imogen, and violently shook the cake onto a platter after like 5 minutes. Thus, a small patch of cake, about 1/4 inch thick and 3inchx3inch wide, was left on the bottom of the pan. To conceal this, I crushed up a handful of pecans and placed them in the center.
MAKE THE GLAZE
place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium low heat, and sprinkle the water over it evenly. Gently shift the pan back and forth over heat until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear. Do not allow to simmer. Add treacle and espresso powder, and then bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, allow to cool for no more than 5 minutes, and brush all over the surface of the cake.
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| Everything I make is brown. |
I made another batch of glaze with the above recipe, minus the espresso powder. this gave the cake more moisture, sweetness, and sheen. It was a good decision.
