One of the most interesting aspects to every social gathering with my friends is the food; some are dedicated carnivores, some love a little of everything, and others are vegan. This has prompted me to try dozens of vegan recipes I may not have tried otherwise. Having the support of vegans and my more carnivorous friends alike, Tasty’s vegan chocolate cake has definitely gained our approval. 

   I found that their recipe served as a great base, but it was missing a little something. Being dark chocolate, what pairing is better than fruit? Though, while I may have put my own spin on the toppings, Tasty’s recipe gave me an easy to follow guide for a deliciously rich and vegan chocolate cake.  

For the original link, see https://tasty.co/recipe/vegan-chocolate-cake. For their recipe and my alterations, continue below. 

Ingredients: 

3 cups white all-purpose flour 

2 cups white granulated sugar 

2 cups powdered sugar 

1 ¾ cup cocoa powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tbsp baking powder 

½ coconut oil 

½ maple syrup 

1 ¾ cups milk substitute of choice; I recommend almond milk 

2 tsps cocoa powder, set aside 

1 cup vegan butter or vegetable shortening; I recommend Country Crock’s plant-based almond butter 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

6 strawberries, sliced vertically 

2 large ripe bananas, sliced 

¼ of a 3oz bar of 100% unsweetened cocoa, shaved 

Directions:  

  Begin by heating the oven to 375 F. 

  In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, two cups of sugar, ¾ cup cocoa powder, salt, and the baking powder. Use a whisk to mix these together thoroughly.  

  Tasty recommends creating a “small well” in the dry batter, as the next step is to add the coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk to the mix. This gives the batter the best chance at being mixed thoroughly. Be sure to whisk the batter until it has been completely mixed together. Tasty warns that the batter will be thick and lumpy. I found you have to use your judgement here. My batter seemed a tad too dry, so I added an extra splash of almond milk. Thankfully it was the right call, and it resulted in the perfect moisture levels in the final product.

  Take two 9-inch pans and grease them with either coconut oil or nonstick baking spray. After trying the recipe, I recommend using coconut oil; I found the spray made my cake still stick slightly to the bottom of the pans. To apply the coconut oil, I recommend placing a small amount on a napkin or paper towel and rubbing it along the pans. 

  Once the pans have been greased well, sprinkle cocoa powder along the sides and bottoms of the pans. Tasty suggests 1 tsp altogether, but I found 1 tsp per pan worked best.  

  Pour half the batter out of the bowl and into each cake pan, then place them in the oven. 

  Tasty recommends baking the cake for 25-30 minutes, however, I found the bake time to be closer to 35-40 minutes. Due to this inconsistency, I recommend completing the toothpick test at approximately 28 minutes. If the toothpick does not come out clean, continue to test every five minutes. 

  Once the cakes are done, place them on a cake rack. Do not remove them from the pan until they have cooled. 

  This is the perfect moment to make the frosting. Add the vegan butter, the powdered sugar, and the remaining cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. If you do not have a mixer, you will need to a large bowl to mix the frosting in. After mixing the frosting ingredients thoroughly, Tasty states it should become almost “glossy”.  

  Despite Tasty’s experience, I found I had to slowly mix the almond milk in to get it to resemble anything “glossy”. If you find yourself having dry frosting, slowly add milk a splash at a time to ensure you do not add too much. 

  Once the cakes are completely cool, decide which cake will be on top.  

  Take the bottom cake and a sharp knife, and level the cake by slicing off any of the uneven top layer of the cake. The bottom needs to be as smooth as possible before being iced with a spatula or icing tool. I recommend icing the cakes on whatever dish the cake will be served on.  

  Once the bottom cake has been liberally frosted on top, add the top cake. You can now begin adding the rest of the icing to the rest of the cake. Be sure to really cover the area where the two cakes meet, as the frosting will help prevent the cakes from moving and separating. 

  Once the icing has been applied evenly, place the slices of fruit in a circular pattern. I recommend alternating fruit slices for flavor variety.  While I used strawberries and bananas, you can realistically pair any fresh fruit with it that pairs well with dark chocolate. 

  Lightly sprinkle the unsweetened cocoa shavings over the cake for extra flavor and garnish. Your cake is now ready to enjoy! 

Do you have a recipe that you’d love to share that’s perfect for college students? Send it in to The Runner at [email protected].