Basic Chocolate Cake

I came pretty close to disappointing you all this week with my commitment to this endeavor.  I was starting to feel a nasty cold coming on and my energy level was significantly low.  At one of my low moments I purchased a box cake.  I was going to take the easy way out and disguise it as a taste-test of boxed cakes.

I can't promise that the taste-test won't make an appearance someday but this is not the week.  I baked!  I opened my friend and author Kris Holechek's book, Have Your Cake and Vegan Too.  This is where I found her recipe for Basic Chocolate Cake.

Don't let the fact that the cake is vegan fool you... vegan cakes are just as delicious as far as I can tell with my limited exposure.  The only ingredient in this recipe that those that aren't vegan may not have in their kitchen is soy milk.  Since our girl is dairy intolerant we always have a non-dairy milk in our house.

Kris' recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda.  This picture above is proof of one of my many "Oh, Shit!" moments while baking.  For some reason I read that as 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS.  After the first tablespoon, I realized my error.  Thankfully, I know that three teaspoons are in a tablespoon.  Which meant that I needed to remove half of the baking soda.  I did my best and the cake turned out as planned.

Kris tells us that the batter will look very thin.  I was a little nervous after seeing this, but she was right... very thin, indeed.

Are you wondering what that is on the bottom of my oven?  Me too.

I finished this cake at 8pm, just in time for the boy to have a snack before bed and for the husband and I to enjoy chocolate cake followed up with a glass of milk for an evening snack.  Of course these two are my two biggest chocolate lovers and they adored this cake.  The boy says this chocolate cake and the Tunnel of Fudge Cake are his favorites.