Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe

I am not a vegan but I do enjoy trying different styles of cooking and trying new ways to eat delicious food. Last month my son and I had a "lets eat cake" kinda day to celebrate it just being a generally awesome day of life. We looked at our ingredients and realized we did not have any eggs or butter on hand. We did have olive oil and coco powder. I went on a Google mission to see what recipes I could come up with to make my own spin on Vegan Chocolate Cake.

I found a great recipe on Veg Recipes of India and gave it my own flare adding the peanut butter powder and using olive oil. Dassana explains the key to the eggless cake is the way the acidity of lemon juice interacts with the baking soda. I used white vinegar because I did not have lemon juice, her recipe is very adaptable.

Stir all dry ingredients together in one bowl.

In a separate bowl from dry ingredients dissolve the sugar in cold water before adding the olive oil, vinegar and vanilla. It is important to the finished cake that you dissolve the sugar completely.

Mix your favorite brand of powdered peanut butter with water for 1/4 cup of peanut butter.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together excluding the peanut butter. I decided to make one cake just chocolate and the other with the peanut butter. I added the peanut butter to only one pan by putting it on top of the batter and swirling with a spoon.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce on top and enjoy!

This cake was a huge hit for my co-workers and family. It is moist and delicious! 

You can find the complete recipe with ingredient list and instructions at Eggless Chocolate Cake by Dassana

Lemon Pound Cake

Do you have a favorite cake recipe that never fails you? That you can make for almost any occasion, whether it's a friends' birthday, office party or picnic?

For me, it's this delicious Lemon Pound Cake. I'm a real lemon lover, so this really satisfies my desire for that tangy, tart flavor. I'll sometimes make it for dessert for a family gathering, and have some left over for a piece the next day with a cup of tea.

I like recipes for Bundt cakes. Bundt cakes always look homemade and somehow comforting to me. I remember my Mom making the Tunnel Of Fudge cake with a mix that was so popular years ago. But I always think it's worth the extra time to make a cake from scratch, and makes all the difference in taste.



 



 

Recipe for Lemon Pound Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature, plus more for the pan

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for the pan

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 cups confectioners' sugar

 

Directions:

 

1. Heat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the yogurt, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Pour glaze over cake.

Serves 12

   

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

There are some desserts that make me nostalgic for my childhood. Like most women in her generation, my mother didn't work outside the home.

I was lucky enough to have good home cooked meals every night, two parents that, though they weren't perfect, made sure our home was secure, and a place I never had to worry about losing. They both worked hard, and of course, I took it all for granted as most kids do.

Both my parents have passed on, and the older I get, the more I wish I could have recognized all they did for me, and said thank you.

Family life is complicated. We all know that, and it's hard sometimes to get the words out that we want to say. Or we say the words that we wish we could take back, and sometimes they can alter the course of our lives.

So today I made my mother's Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Or at least a version of it, because I don't have her original recipe.

But this recipe is pretty fabulous, and I think she would have approved. Whenever I make this, I think of her in the kitchen, in her apron, and I'm so glad she was my Mom.

Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Ingredients:

 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
grated rind from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar
1 20-ounce can pineapple slices
1 small jar Maraschino cherries

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil and milk to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon rind, and lemon juice, mixing just until well combined.

In a 9-10 inch round cake pan, on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the brown sugar around the pan. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries on top.
Pour the batter evenly over the top, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto a circular platter.

 Serves 6.

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

I adore chocolate cake, and this recipe is one of my absolute favorites. Normally, I think a cake tastes better on the first day it's baked, but this one's chocolate intensity is even better on the second day.

This is fancy enough for a holiday, family reunion, or any time you want people to be in awe of your fabulous baking skills. It really is that good.

Recipe for Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon brewed coffee

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

 

For the glaze:
 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.

Put brewed coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Remove from the heat and let come to room temperature.

With an electric mixer,  mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low speed for about 1 minute.  Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.  The batter will be very loose.  Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan about 30 minutes, and then invert onto a cake plate.

 

To make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and all of the vanilla extract.  Whisk to combine.  Mixture may be thick.  Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but still pourable.

Slowly pour glaze over cake, guiding the glaze with a spatula.

 

Serves 8-10.

 

Enjoy!!