Vegan Chocolate Red Wine Cake


This recipe was inspired by Mollie Katzen's "Made-In-the-Pan Chocolate Cake" recipe.  The original recipe is easy, delicious, and (surprisingly) vegan.  When I made it for the first time, I was impressed by the moist texture and thought it presented endless possibilities - vegan chocolate cupcakes, vegan chocolate layer cake (aka vegan birthday cake!), and, this time, vegan chocolate red wine cake.

I made a few "green edits" to the cake and added red wine and cinnamon for a deep cold-weather flavor combination.
Vegan Chocolate Red Wine Cake (8 servings)
1 ¼ cup unbleached white flour whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 teaspoon (kosher) salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 cup water red wine
1/3 cup vegetable oil  unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cider vinegar 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. 
(Note: Jamie Oliver has the coolest trick for cutting parchment to fit a pan where you fold up the parchment first.  It looks like you're going to make some sort of crazy valentine or snowflake out of the paper.  You put the point of the folded paper in the center of the pan to measure the length of the pan's radius.  Then cut off the excess paper and unfold to have a perfect circle to fit in your pan. Video would help here, but hopefully if you look at the folds of the paper below, you get the general idea.)
1.  Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.  Add the sugar and whisk to combine.
 
2. Combine the red wine, applesauce, vanilla and vinegar.  Add to the dry ingredients.
3. Use a fork and slowly stir the mixture in small circles, breaking up lumps in the batter, until the batter is smooth.  (I do this in a separate bowl rather than in the pan because I'm using a circular metal pan rather than the glass pan that Mollie's recipe calls for).  
4. Pour the batter in the pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.  
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  
Invert the cake onto a plate or platter to serve.  
 
Dust with powdered sugar for a very pretty presentation. 
Nutrition facts for one slice of cake using the original recipe:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 89 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories
258
Calories from Fat
88
% Daily Value*
Total Fat
9.8g
15%
Saturated Fat
2.1g
11%
Trans Fat
0.0g
Cholesterol
0mg
0%
Sodium
337mg
14%
Total Carbohydrates
41.9g
14%
Dietary Fiber
1.7g
7%
Sugars
25.2g
Protein
2.7g
Vitamin A 0%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1%Iron 8%

Nutrition facts for one slice of cake using the green edits (and red wine):
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 76 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories
154
Calories from Fat
7
% Daily Value*
Total Fat
0.8g
1%
Trans Fat
0.0g
Cholesterol
0mg
0%
Sodium
341mg
14%
Total Carbohydrates
29.6g
10%
Dietary Fiber
3.2g
13%
Sugars
13.1g
Protein
2.6g
Vitamin A 0%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%Iron 7%

7 comments:

  1. hi just wondering you list baking soda in the ingredients but then refer to baking powder in the instructions; which one did you mean?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry about that! This recipe uses baking soda only, which reacts with the vinegar to make the cake rise.

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  2. This is the greatest chocolate cake of all time. I have made the recipe a few times. I like to add dark chocolate chips, but it is also perfect as-is.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks-glad you like it! Dark chocolate chips are a great idea!

      Delete
  3. Hey! I just came across this recipe. Quick question -- if I were to make the recipe as cupcakes instead of as one cake, would I need to change anything about the cooking process? Like the cooking time and temperature?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa,

      I have used this recipe to make cupcakes, and I reduce the cooking time to about 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to see if they're cooked, and you should be all set. I don't think you have to change the temperature. Let me know how they turn out!

      Kaitlin

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  4. Update, it is now 2019, and I am still making this recipe. High fives.

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