Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake with Mocha Frosting (+My Vegan Anniversary!)

Lately I've been noticing people mentioning their first or second or third or twentieth anniversaries of being vegan, which made me wonder when I actually first went vegan. I knew it was sometime in 2010, but it wasn't until I looked through old PhotoBooth photos of me eating Italian ice that I realized it was sometime around May 20th, more or less, that I decided to try it. I mostly did it to test myself, to see if I could do it, and I posted a photo on Facebook every day, calling it "The Ten Days of Veganism". I didn't realize I'd like it so much that it would turn into over 1,000 days and counting. It's actually pretty funny looking back on it now because this was during my Nevershoutnever! fangirl phase (as you can see from my necklace, I always had to wear at least two or three peace signs), and I definitely only tried veganism because peta2 did an interview with Christofer Drew. Please note I do not support PETA and I no longer listen to Nevershoutnever! (except for on occasion when I feel nostalgic. I still know every word to every song... I stopped listening to his music after Harmony when his personality changed a lot, but apparently he's become super chill now and really into vegan food so he seems pretty cool again! LOL OKAY ANYWAY)

Wow, I can't believe I'm posting that photo on the internet. Anyway, in celebration of my anniversary, which is roughly some time around now, I made a vanilla cake topped with a delicious mocha frosting. This was the first time I've baked anything gluten-free that was my own recipe, and I am more than happy with the results. I'm still not a huge fan of the flavor of gluten-free all-purpose flour, but I'm figuring out how to cover it up. If you want to make this with regular all-purpose flour, use 1 cup and leave out the xanthan gum. Also, this is a single-layer cake, so you can feel free to double it if you want.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake with Mocha Frosting

• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, or other mild-tasting oil
• 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coffee extract
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1) Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil a circular 8-inch cake pan.

2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3) In a separate medium bowl, mix together oil, syrup, vanilla, coffee extract, vinegar, and non-dairy milk until completely combined.

4) Add dry ingredients to liquids and mix well, until no lumps remain.

5) Pour batter into prepared pan and spread as best you can, smoothing out the top. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Cool on a wire rack in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and let cake rest on rack until completely cook.

Mocha Frosting

• 8 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (not melted)
• 2 teaspoons coffee extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk if necessary, but coconut is best)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until very smooth (you'll probably have to stir it a lot in between pulses). If you need to, you can add more milk until it reaches desired consistency. Chill until ready to use.

I don't know why I'm posting this, it doesn't even have a recipe

Is it really March 10th already? I think, if anything, running this blog has taught me that being a professional blogger is not a career that will ever be in my future. On that note, I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about colleges... I honestly have no idea where to start in the process of looking at schools. My friends talk to their guidance counselors at high school, but since I'm homeschooled, I'm on my own. Unlike everyone else I know, I don't even have any idea what I'd like to do for a career.  I suppose something to do with food would be ideal, probably at a culinary arts school, but I don't think I'd be very comfortable working with (and eating...) non-vegan food.  It's scary and overwhelming to think about college, even though I know it shouldn't be such a big deal.  Thankfully, I'm only a junior, and I'm probably going to take a year off after school to get a job or volunteer or something, so I still have time.  


Anyway, my dad's birthday was this week, so this was my first chance to use my new Sticky Fingers Sweets cookbook, unadapted and with full sugar and fat.  Taking full advantage of that, I made the choco-raspberry dream (his choice), which is a decadent chocolate cake loaded with raspberry frosting and coated with a rich chocolate ganache. I'll admit, I had no idea what ganache is, and I still don't think I really understand. But what matters is that it tasted magnificent.  This cake was probably the most beautiful thing I've ever created. Really, really unhealthy, but beautiful. I'm not going to post the recipe, since it's not mine, but I'm sure a quick Google search would give it to you if you wanted - or you could just buy the book.

Single-Layer Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Well, if you live in New England or know someone who does, then you may have heard about Winter Storm Nemo. Apparently we're supposed to get more snow this weekend than we've had in the past several years combined. It's been snowing all day and is really quite beautiful out. However, it's supposed to be windy later, and wind + snow = losing electricity, so I'm not too excited for this. In the meantime, I'm charging all of my electronics and I'm about to take what may be my last shower for a while. Woohoo.

I actually made this chocolate cake a few weeks ago, but I've been saving it for Valentine's Day, so I could be like every other food blogger in the world and post a chocolate cake recipe this week. But really, this cake is fantastic. You could double it and coat it with some chocolate frosting for an incredibly chocolate dessert. I, however, was in the mood for something lighter, so I made a single layer and covered it with a gooey strawberry sauce. No matter how you choose to serve it, it will be sure to satisfy that chocolate craving. 

Single-Layer Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or a combination of AP and white whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil or other mild-tasting oil
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a round 9-inch cake pan.

2) In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

3) In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.

4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.

5) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

6) Place on wire rack and let cool completely.

Strawberry Topping

• 1 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener 
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1) Using a potato masher, mash strawberries until no whole berries remain (there should still be some chunks though)

2) Combine berries, syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan. 

3) Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly (keep it at a slow boil).

4) Remove from heat and let cool before spreading on (completely cooled) cake.


Optional: Decorate cake with ground walnuts or coconut flakes. 

Vanilla Cake with Banana-Coconut Frosting (Sugar-Free)

Well, it's been almost two weeks since 2013 started, and I still haven't eaten any (refined) sugar. I don't really agree with the concept of "new years resolutions", however, I have been making several decisions lately for my physical and mental health, and one of them has been to cut back on sugar. As you can probably tell, I not only have a major sweet tooth, but I also love to bake. That puts me in a bad situation as I've realized cane sugar has some pretty noticeable side effects for me; it gives me terrible migraines, heartburn, mood swings, and fatigue. Also I'm sure it's not particularly beneficial for my psoriasis (or Crohn's!). So I'm trying to stop eating refined sugar, or cane sugar, except maybe the occasional treat on a birthday or holiday. I've been hearing a lot of nasty stuff about agave nectar lately, so I doubt I'll be using that much either (which is such a bummer considering it's so much cheaper than the other alternative sweeteners). I still eat maple syrup and brown rice syrup, but hopefully some day I will cut back significantly on my intake of those too; I'm taking this one step at a time.

This cake is pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. Not only does it taste great, but it's the perfect consistency (not even a sugar-eating omnivore would be able to guess it's sugar-, egg-, and dairy-free!). Even if you choose to use a different frosting, this cake a fabulous base. It can easily be doubled (or tripled!) to make a layer cake. This recipe is modified from the book More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally, but I changed it enough that I feel okay posting it. The frosting recipe was inspired by this recipe by Chocolate Covered Katie, only I changed it somewhat, mostly because coconut butter is definitely not sold near me and my food processor is not cooperative when I try to make my own. It's not exactly the prettiest color in the world, and I would recommend decorating the top with coconut. Of course, if you're not so strict about avoiding sugar, you could use a different frosting, but this stuff really does have a good flavor and I would recommend trying it. 

Vanilla Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, or other mild-tasting oil
• 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a circular 8-inch cake pan.

2) In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

3) In another medium bowl, mix together oil, syrup, milk, vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, and vinegar until completely combined. 

4) Add liquids to flour mixture and stir until combined and no lumps remain.

5) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Cool on a wire rack in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and let cake rest on rack until completely cool.

Meanwhile, prepare frosting:

Banana-Coconut Frosting

• 1 overripe banana
• 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (okay I have to admit I didn't measure this at all, so have at least 1 cup available, but you might not need it all)
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, or more, to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of salt

1) In a blender or food processor, blend banana until smooth. 

2) Add 2/3 cup coconut flakes and combine. At this point, it should be about the consistency of frosting (not smooth, obviously, because of the coconut, but the same thickness); if it seems too liquidy to be spread on cake, add a bit more coconut. 

3) Add maple syrup, extracts, lemon zest, and salt and mix until combined. 

4) Refrigerate until ready to use (it tastes best cold).

To assemble cake, frost with banana frosting, then sprinkle on some extra coconut flakes and lemon zest. 

Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until serving.