Cake

If you have to avoid wheat/gluten then this is the cake for you. I developed a fascination for GF baking several years ago because I had two friends who couldn’t eat gluten and never got the good stuff at potlucks. I would try to always make something they could eat. They were always so appreciative even though I never loved my creations, they were happy to have whatever I brought.

Fast forward to spring/summer 2012 and I finally discover my son’s eczema is the result of gluten/wheat. He was just under 1 1/2 years old so he wasn’t eating a lot of cakes or cookies but he loved pancakes, banana bread, etc. I was determined that he wouldn’t have to do without “normal” food.

I have a list of favorites I intend to adapt so that they are gluten-free, dairy-free, and peanut-free. I want my little guy to experience donuts, birthday cake, and banana pudding without pain or illness.

I’ve been working on this cake for a while. I wanted to make it as allergy friendly as possible. I have a friend who can’t have apples or bananas so I had been making it without them but I couldn’t get the taste or texture right. I decided to abandon that idea (temporarily, I’ve got some ideas) because I needed to make a birthday cake for my 4 year old.

If you follow My Plant-Based Family on Facebook then you know that I shared this recipe with several people. I got great feedback from everyone who made it. Some people couldn’t make it because they couldn’t find all of the ingredients. I buy some of them from Amazon because I can’t always find them locally. You could probably substitute a store bought GF baking mix with good results.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 c brown rice flour
• 1 c sorghum flour
• 1/2 c tapioca flour
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 tsp xanthum gum OR guar gum
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 c warm water*
• 3 tsp EnerG Egg Replacer*
• 1 c turbinado sugar (I’ve also used agave nectar with good results)
• 1 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1-2 mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 c rice milk (reduce to 1 cup if you use agave nectar)
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional but oh so good)

Do

1. Preheat oven to 350° and spray two 8 or 9 inch pans with cooking spray. I’ve also made this in a bundt pan with good results (but longer baking time).
2. In a mixing bowl add dry ingredients, brown rice flour through sea salt.
3. In a small bowl or measuring cup mix warm water and egg replacer and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl mix sugar through milk. Add “egg” and mix well.
5. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients until well incorporated.
6. Add chocolate chips and stir until just mixed.
7. Pour batter, dividing into two pans.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve

This cake can be frosted once cooled or enjoyed as is. It is birthday cake worth. I’ve also layered fresh strawberries between the layers and used both Avocado Mousse and Coconut Cream Frosting. My 2 year old got Cococonut Cream Frosted Mini Cupcakes for his birthday and my 4 year old got store bought frosting on his birthday cake; it should be noted that neither kid liked the store bought frosting. Lesson learned: Plant-based kids don’t need over processed, store bought junk food. 🙂