MAKES ONE 8-INCH ROUND LAYER CAKE
The Ultimate Chocolate Cake is one of the most ridiculously moist, melt-in-your-mouth, drool-over desserts we have ever eaten. It’s perfect for any occasion, or let it serve as a celebration unto itself! Certainly, eating something so delicious without feeling guilty is cause to celebrate. Made from whole grains, healthy sweeteners, and nourishing fats, this is one treat that you can happily enjoy as many servings of as you like. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get in the kitchen and start baking!
For the cake base
1⅔ cups white whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 cup maple syrup
1¼ cups water
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp. white or apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Make sure your rack is in the center of the oven.
2 Lightly oil and flour two 8-inch cake pans with coconut oil and about 1 Tbsp. flour. Pat the outside of the pans upside-down to remove excess flour. Set aside.
3 In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4 In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup, water, coconut oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
5 Stir together the wet and dry ingredients just to combine. Do not overmix.
6 Fill each cake pan with batter about halfway. Bake for 20 minutes.
7 Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15–20 minutes while you prepare the icing.
For the Homemade Powdered Sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender for 45 seconds, until powdered.
For the Chocolate Almond Butter Icing
1¼ cups Homemade Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. vegan butter
2 Tbsp. unsweetened nondairy milk
1 Tbsp. creamy almond butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine 1¼ cups Homemade Powdered Sugar, vegan butter, nondairy milk, almond butter, and vanilla extract. Blend with a hand mixer for about 3–5 minutes, or until a thick, gooey frosting forms.
2 Immediately frost and assemble the cake or refrigerate the icing until ready to use.
