Heralding the New Year with Vegan Chocolate Cake and Friends

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.”
Anonymous

Heralding the new year with friends.... Shuchi, Radhika and Gauri. Radhika very sweetly got us her new experiment to give the year to such a wonderful start.....

Radhika's Vegan Mocha Cake Recipe
Inspired n Adpated from here.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake
Dry
2 1/2 cups of sifted whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar [doesnt make any difference if its granular or caster]
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt

Wet
1 cup of apple sauce/maple syrup/golden syrup
2 cups of warm water
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar

Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
Half a 350 g package of firm tofu
4 tablespoons maple/golden syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup of soy or almond milk
100 g to 200 g 70% dark chocolate bar (melted in a double boiler) [i used few pieces of baileys liquor chocolate to give that extra kick]
1 teaspoon of Coffee Powder

Topping-
Fresh Strawberries

Putting It All Together-

Directions: 350° F (175° C); for 15 minutes or less for moister cake

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease baking pans with Earth Balance natural buttery spread.
3. To ensure the cakes don't stick, place a handful of flour in each pan and shake pan until covered. Or, with a pencil, trace the bottom of the baking pan on the wax paper, cut out circles, and line pans.
4. Sift flour into a large bowl, adding flakes of bran back into the flour if sifted out.
5. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
6. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients and whisk.
7. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.
8. Pour vegan chocolate cake mixture equally into baking pans.
9. Place pans in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a fork comes out clean.
10. Allow chocolate cake to cool before removing from pans.

How to Make Frosting
1. Add all ingredients, except the chocolate and coffee powder, into a food processor.
2. Melt dark chocolate bar in a double boiler.
3. Blend ingredients until smooth and then slowly add melted chocolate and coffee powder.
4. Once blended, let cool in the refrigerator for a few hours so that the tofu has time to absorb the flavors. Frosting will also thicken as it sits.
5. If not chocolatey enough for you, melt and add more dark chocolate.

Frosting Your Vegan Mocha Cake
1. Place one cake flat side up on a plate and spread with icing.
2. Place other cake flat side down on top of icing.
3. Spread the remainder of the icing over the entire double-layered cake and serve.

This delicious mocha cake is perfect when served with fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.

A quick note: the texture and flavor of the cake with vary slightly depending on whether maple syrup or apple sauce is used. If you prefer a cake less moist, simply use two cups of sugar instead of apple sauce and maple/golden syrup.