egg and dairy-free chocolate cake

Yummy note: So my little man turned 1 this month, and I was on a mission to find a dairy-free cake for him. Ben has had some sensitivities to dairy the last few months since we tried introducing it into his diet, so I knew I needed to find him a dairy-free treat to make. Check out his recipe approval pictures below... :)  I wanted to make him a smash cake for his birthday party, so when I saw this recipe on two fellow blogger sites (both from the Secret Recipe Club), Deeba and Barbara, I knew I had to bookmark it for later to try... and timing was perfect. Tina at Mom's Crazy Cooking Challenge sent out this email for the ultimate chocolate cake challenge for the month of February. I knew it was meant to be... I hope you enjoy this egg and dairy-free chocolate cake as much as we did, as the taste was amazing. You would not know that you were missing any of the eggs, butter, or milk in this cake, as the flavor was superb and the texture was moist and almost fudge-like. Next time I might try replacing some of the oil with applesauce, or perhaps more mashed bananas, but overall this allergy-friendly cake rocks.... 

Egg and Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

Thank you to Barbara from Barbara Bakes and Deeba at Passionate about Baking for this egg and dairy-free recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons less of 1 cup sugar (about 16 tablespoons)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

*Yummy note: This recipe is halved, but can be easily doubled to the original recipe proportions as done on Deeba and Barbara's sites.


Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350º with rack in the center. Spray one 9 inch round cake pan (I ended up using 3 mini springform pans instead) with non-stick spray. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl by hand.

In a large measuring cup or small bowl, combine hot water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined.

It can be a bit lumpy still, don't overmix.

Divide cake batter between pans or pour into the one 9 inch pan. Bake for about 20 or so minutes if using smaller pans or 35-40 minutes if using a larger pan.

Test cake to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick into the center and see if it comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan sitting on a rack for about 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack to cool completely.

I frosted this cake with dairy-free chocolate banana frosting and added in sliced bananas.

Dairy-free chocolate frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Crisco, melted
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mashed bananas
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp water, if needed

*Yummy note: Original recipe called for 1/3 cup of milk instead of the mashed bananas, so if you do not need to make it dairy-free you may opt for this instead. Either way, it is delicious.




Directions:
In a saucepan, melt Crisco. Remove from heat after melting and add cocoa and salt. Stir in vanilla. Alternate adding in the mashed bananas and powdered sugar. Keep adding in all of the bananas and powdered sugar until incorporated. Add in a few tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.

To assemble cake, cut cake into even layers and add in sliced bananas between thin layers of your chocolate banana frosting. Assemble and top with more frosting and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Note many chocolate chips are NOT dairy-free, so be sure to watch labels.

Happy Golden 1st birthday on the 1st of February, Ben. 

Check out all of the others and their chocolate cake challenge!