that happens to be VEGAN.  I kid you not!

This is what they claimed, the good folks over at www.instructables.com.  I was skeptical.  How can you make a vegan chocolate cake that doesn’t taste like dust?  And from a website that shows you how to build anything from a Tetris Shaped Boardgame Closet to a Batgirl Birkin Bag? Just looking through their website gives me the urge to run over to ACME Surplus and build something. With tools.  And wood.  Wires.

Not cake.  But they also have a recipe section, from where I purloined our vegan chocolate cake instructions.  It really is simple to make – no fuss, no muss, no mixing bowls.  And it’s truly delish!

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp vegan margarine

2 tbsp soy milk

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions (verbatim, italics are mine)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In an 8 x 8 pan (I used a 7 x 11 oblong baking dish), mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt with a fork, making sure it is really blended together.  Add the water, vanilla, oil and vinegar, and again mix together so that it’s really blended together.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary (I wiped it with a paper towel).

Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean (be ready – at 25 minutes the centre of mine was still very wet, but five minutes later it was completely cooked through – don’t overcook).  Cool on a rack completely (2 hours), before adding glaze.

For the glaze, in a small saucepan bring sugar, margarine, milk and cocoa to a boil.  Stir frequently, then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  It’ll look gloppy, but it’s just the bubbles!  Remove from heat and stir for another 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, stir, and immediately pour onto cake.  Glaze dries really quickly, so spread it immediately and add any sprinkles now (I used almond slivers).  Let this cool for 1 hour, if you can wait that long!  I had trouble extricating mine from the glass dish so I just left it upside down on a cooling rack and eventually it let go.

To view the original recipe and for more pictures, see:   http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever…that-happens-to-be/