Wacky Birthday Cake

For my birthday, I wanted the perfect cake, but not just any cake. This one had to be both gluten free and dairy free to suite my dietary needs. Most restaurants don’t serve gluten free and dairy free desserts, sometimes they offer desserts that are one or the other, not both. This cake recipe came from allrecipes.com and it’s called, ‘wacky cake’. The way you make it is wacky because you combine all the ingredients into your baking pan, no separate bowls required. Less dirty dishes to wash, how wacky is that?!

Moist and delicious (see decadent forkful below)!! This is my new go-to birthday cake

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

“This cake is made without milk or eggs and is moist, dark and delicious. A brain child of the depression era when ingenious cooks developed a cake that could be made without expensive and scarce ingredients.”

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour

* 3/4 cup unrefined turbinado sugar

* 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

* 4 Tablespoons applesauce PLUS 2 Tablespoons canola oil

* 1 cup water

Optional – * 1/3 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8×8 inch ungreased cake pan.

3.Make three depressions. Pour applesauce and oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of batter in pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

6. Cool completely, then frost with your favorite icing (see suggestion below), optional if using chocolate chips in step 4.

Moist and delicious, the way a birthday cake should taste! This one’s a keeper.

If you want a decadent yet healthy frosting for this cake, try Joanne’s Chocolate Avocado Frosting:

Ingredients:

* 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced

* 1/4 cup maple syrup

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

* 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

* 1/4 tsp shoyu or soy sauce

* 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Method:

1. In a food processor, blend the avocado, maple syrup, vanilla, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Mix until creamy.

2. Add the cocoa powder and blend again until smooth and creamy.

3. Allow to chill for an hour before frosting your cake.

What is your favorite birthday cake? Is there a story behind the recipe?