Vegan Devil’s Food Cake: Healthy, Decadent, Sinful

Vegan or otherwise, this cake is definitely to die for!

Who says vegans can’t indulge in the sinfully pleasurable things the food world has to offer? Devil’s Food Cake, the lovely, smooth chocolate cake that is always in everyone’s comfort food list, could be a lot healthier.
When I made this for a group of friends a few years back, everyone—vegan or not—fell head over heels in love with this cake. It was just the right combination of sweet, chocolate-y, gooey, and sweet. They couldn’t believe it was vegan because it tasted genuinely close to the regular one.

If you want to recreate this lovely indulgence, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces unsweetened vegan chocolate, chopped
• 3 cups organic cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups organic white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup organic vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon organic balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Melt unsweetened vegan chocolate on a double boiler over simmering water, frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid burning. Set aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 9-inch cake pans with waxed paper.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

4. Whisk organic sugar, water, organic vegetable oil, organic vanilla extract, and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl until well-incorporated. Stir in half of the dry mixture. Fold in melted chocolate. Throw in theremaining flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until batter is smooth and free of lumps for about 2 minutes.

5. Put the baking pans in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until toothpicks inserted in the centers come out clean. Let the cakes completely cook for about an hour on the cooling rack before frosting.

You may choose to frost your Devil’s Food Cake with vegan buttercream or vegan chocolate ganache.