I do this weird thing where every time I get sick, I get into a HUGE mood for baking. Seriously — it happens every time. So, the other night while feeling clammy and feverish, I decided to make Candice Kumai’s vegan chocolate cake…at midnight.

The first time I make someone else’s recipe, I like to really follow it by the books to make sure I don’t mess anything up. After the fact, I like to play and make it my own a bit. What I loved about this recipe (aside from how tasty and relatively healthy it is) was that you can really add so much and create different variations. I think next time I make it, I’ll be adding some vegan dark chocolate chips to add a gooey texture in the center. Below, you will find the original recipe by the insanely talented cake rockstar, Candice Kumai.

What you need:

1 3/4 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour (like Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 cup almond meal flour

3/4 cup unsweetened dark Dutch cocoa powder

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1 fully ripe avocado, ripe, finely mashed

1/2 cup finely grated beets

3/4 cup granulated coconut sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1 cup water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

To top:

2 tablespoons powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake

Directions:

1- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a round parchment paper base for the bottom of your cake pan(s). Grease an 8” cake pan with coconut oil or baking spray, add your parchment round inside and set aside.

2- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, cocoa powder and baking powder.

3- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the mashed avocado with a fork (make sure all lumps are gone), add in the grated beets and sugar. Slowly whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla extract to combine. Add in your water, whisk to combine well.

4- Using a spatula, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mix until just combined. Batter will resemble a very thick brownie batter.

5- In a small bowl, combine baking soda and apple cider vinegar and fizz! Fold into the thick cake batter. Mix well to combine

6- Using a rubber spatula, add the cake batter into the 8” prepared cake pan, spread evenly into the pan using the rubber spatula. Place the pan on to the middle rack of the oven for approximately 22-24 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

7- For topping: Add 2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar to a mesh sifter and dust on top of the cake!

 

I LOVE hearing about how you guys enjoy these recipes, and if you put your own spin on it or try a different variation, leave a comment below so I can give it a try!