Recipes for the cake

My mom and grandma used to make a cake called "Wacky" cake--what was so wacky about it? Well, it required no eggs and it still rose. Wacky! The cake I made tonight is similar--no eggs, no dairy. The trick? Vinegar and baking soda. Whalaa, a delicious, fluffy & moist cake.

It would be nice to have an actual cake platter, but to be honest I don't make cakes very frequently, but it would be nice for the presentation. I put the cake on our baking stone from Pampered Chef, which did the job.

I bought strawberries from Good Earth today which were only 95 cents a pint! Can you believe it? It's rare to buy anything for less than a dollar nowadays. Nothing quite as satisfying as chocolate and strawberries...such a delictable combination.

Chocolate Sin-amon Cake

1 1/4 c. spelt/kamut/or whole wheat flour OR 1 cup & 2 TBS. white flour

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour/white flour

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. + 2 TBS. sugar (I used sucanat)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 3/4 c. water

2 TBS. basalmic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 TBS. oil & 3 TBS. pureed banana OR 1/4 cup canola oil

Cook at 350 F. Mix dry ingred. Mix wet ingred. seperately. Mix wet & dry, do not over mix. Bake for 23-25 minutes. I used 2 round pans for a layered cake. Let the cakes cool before frosting.

Frost with chocolate hazelnut cream frosting and add fresh strawberries in between layers and/or on top.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Frosting

1 3/4 non-dairy chocolate chips (I like the Sunspire brand, grain-sweetened)

1 12 oz. package silken extra-firm tofu + 3/4 cups

1/4 cup hazelnut butter or peanut or almond butter (I happened to have hazelnuts on hand and made it into butter with my Blendtec)

1/2 cup brown rice syrup (I think honey might work here, but I did use the brown rice syrup which seems stickier so it's good for thickening the frosting)

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/8 tsp. sea salt

Melt the chocolate on a double broiler on low heat. Puree in blender or food processor all ingred except for chocolate, then add chocolate. Put in refridgerator for 3 or more hours to cool and thicken.