Vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake

It's been a big week. A big week involving acceptance letters in the mail! And finally, finally, the previously distant future melding with my immediate present.

So, with the prospect of moving to New York on the brain, I decided that celebration was in order. Specifically, celebration in the form of cake.

Vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake

[copied verbatim from Foods For Long Life]

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut a piece of foil to fit the bottom of an 8 inch pie plate, and place in the bottom of the pan. Grease the sides of the pan with olive oil.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Stir in the water, vanilla, vinegar and oil until combined.
5. Pour mixture into the cake pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan, then turn the cake pan over and gently peel off the foil from the bottom of the cake.
7. Turn the cake back over so it is cooling on the rack with the top facing up and cool another 15 minutes.
8. Dust cake with powdered sugar.

new year, new blog - and chocolate stout ginger cake

i would be lying if i said that this year didn't knock me flat.

somehow within these twelve months, there have been two apartments, three countries, more than a thousand photographs in pixels and film, eight airplanes, breakups, makeups, makeouts, many goodbyes, oceans and deserts, hundreds of cups of coffee and text messages and hours worked.

this is a familiar story, of not having enough. not enough time to divide among too many places and obligations, pages to read, words to write. not enough time to spend time working, to scrape by after bills and rent with enough to remain at equilibrium.

so this year, the new blog will be about food. it will be about trying to have it all - about eating healthily, about the pleasure of making and consuming small things from nothing, about buying food ethically, about being conscientious and taking care.

oh, and of course, about spending as close to nothing in the process.

sometimes it's too tempting to want to crumple and give up. but when that's not an option, what do you do? you make do. you make it work. you make cake.

Chocolate Stout Ginger Cake

[adapted from the Sassy Radish]

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups stout
1 1/8 cups molasses
1/2 tbsp baking soda
3 large eggs
1/8 cup dark cocoa powder, plus an extra pinch
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan with dark cocoa powder to avoid having white specks on your cake.

Mix stout with molasses over high heat. Bring to a boil, remove, and add baking soda. Mixture will bubble, so do this first to give it time to settle and cool.

Beat together eggs, brown sugar, white sugar. Add oil.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder) in a separate bowl.

Whisk the stout mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Add the egg/sugar mixture, and ginger.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick come out clean.