Vegan Chocolate Cake [Menu]

I've gone through my spells of veganism. The longest one being a year or so of time, last year's only a few months. Now a days, I'm a pescetarian. That's basically a fancy way to say a lacto-ovo vegetarian with the occasional carnivorous indulgence (of the aquatic variety).  I've never done this out of a dietary concern. It's always been for weight loss or ethical/environmental reasons. I've never had any extreme allergies. Lemons sometimes tickle my throat, and I don't feel awesome after eating a ton of oats. Ultimately, though, these are minor annoyances and, certainly, nothing I've concerned myself over.
That can't be said for my friend Katie, however. When Katie officially joined the clan this past year by marrying Tk, one of my oldest childhood companions (who was pictured in our old, tiny apartment from the very first post on The Powdered Plum), she brought an interesting situation to the table. Extremely lactose intolerant. Allergic to peanuts. But not at all picky and very sweet and willing to try things - even if they make her sick. Now, that's a gal worth fixing something special for, wouldn't you say? 


I started keeping almond milk on hand (and found I actually somewhat prefer it in baking), and I decided to try out this vegan cake recipe for Carol and Matt's joint birthday party since Katie would be among our guests. (It should be noted that Matt helped by making the non-vegan cake for the party. He is a sweet, well-meaning gentleman.) I went through a ton of recipes before I found one that sounded in the least bit promising. I don't have a lot of experience making anything more than vegan-friendly cookies, and chocolate cake has a tendency to be dry without dietary restrictions applied. I know full-well there are a myriad of fantastic, successful vegan recipes out there whose ingredients can put eggs and milk to shame, but it took a while before pinning down the right one. I do believe, however, it has been accomplished.


This chocolate cake is moist and delicious, and the orange glaze is absolutely perfect. I have a go-to non-vegan chocolate cake recipe that's hard to beat on flavor, but you can't win over the extreme ease (and low cost) of this option. I'd really put them on the same level, to be honest. Plus, this one doesn't take five hours to assemble! 
If you like the combination of orange and chocolate, definitely go for this particular icing recipe. It hardens just enough to add a nice mouth-feel and is sweet enough to perfect the flavor of the cake. However, if oranges aren't your thing or you're not sure you want to have an entire cake of it, by all means, adapt it to your preferences. As long as the amounts are the same, it'll turn out just fine (and you can always experiment to see what works for you.)

Recipe Ahead!

Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze [Menu]

There is nothing like a moist, delicious double-layer cake slathered in buttercream frosting. But, if you're anything like me, you don't have time to make anything like that on an everyday basis. I work. I go to college. I have familial obligations. I need to cook. I need to clean. I'm lucky to have friends as busy as I am or I doubt anyone would put up with my schedule.

That being said, I think it's very important to have something special in the house to come home to as often as possible. I'm not sure why.. I guess it makes a chaotic home feel more at peace to me. So that's why, now-a-days, I really like "quick" cakes and cookies. Don't get me wrong. I will always prefer an "all-day" cake or meal, but sometimes those "busy day" cakes (as my mother calls them) can be just as awesome after a full week of work.





Stumble Upon has become one of my greatest friends during late-night downtime. You can find the most amazing food blogs and sites. And that's exactly how I found this gem. And I do mean gem.







This is absolutely the quickest cake you could possibly make. All together, I spent, maybe, about 10 minutes in the kitchen. And it's a really good cake. It's true that it's semi-homemade (I used "Moist Supreme" mix from Pillsbury, for those who are wondering), which I'm not usually a huge fan of, but it doesn't taste like it. And it's only two ingredients! How can you pass that up?

It's a fantastic, fast cake for Fall. And you might as well try it! More than likely, you already have everything you need in the pantry.





Recipe Ahead!