Well this is a very exciting day and this is the first post of the year involving not one monthly group but two! I will also be at work this morning after some time off, boo to that! Oh well the holidays are over and real life has to sink back in. Great food will make everything nice.
So as I mentioned before, today we have a combined entry for two groups I belong too….
The first is my group’s reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club. What is the SRC? Basically you are assigned a fellow participant’s blog by the organizer and then you pick a recipe of your choice from that blog and make your version of it. But it is a secret, you cannot reveal whom you picked and what you made until the established posting date and time.
The second is a brand new re branding you could say. The old 5 Star Makeover is now the Creative Cooking Crew which is hosted by Lazaro Cooks and Foodalogue. One of the former leaders decided to take a bow for personal reasons so we thought it was a great chance to give this fabulous group a makeover.
For SRC this month I was assigned the blog by Barbara called Barbara Bakes. So many tempting recipes as Barbara is a big baker of delicious goods. It is always a debate as to which recipe to showcase. Well 3 days ago I was hosting a small dinner party at home so I concentrated on her dessert recipe index. I really liked the sound on the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Maraschino Cherry Filling one but I am not into 2 tiered cakes anymore so I adapted the recipe to make 1 layer. I also kept the idea of the fruit topping but I am not over my cranberry obsession so I swapped them instead of cherries.
And imagine my surprise when I realized this cake had zero eggs or dairy! It is actually a vegan cake. And wouldn’t you know it this month’s theme for the Creative Cooking Crew is Vegan. This group is very gourmet, especially in presentation. Now I may bake well but my cake decoration skills are pathetic. See I tried to do a red and green border with icing and I can’t even keep my lines straight lol. Well I hope the fact that I present an actually great tasting cake that is vegan will be gourmet enough. I would not have guessed otherwise. The secret is the bubbling reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Topping
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º with rack in the center. Spray an 8inch round cake pan with non-stick spray.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.
- Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined, a few lumps are OK and the mix will be dense.
- Poor into pan, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Cool cakes on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack. Leave cakes upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
- In the mean time in a small saucepan combine all topping ingredients and cook over medium-high heat, until cranberries start to release their juice and the liquid thickens and becomes syrupy, 6-7 minutes; cool until needed.
A vegan cake is DEFINITELY gourmet enough! lol. It is nothing short of miraculous to me that cakes can rise without eggs, so bravo. (And I can’t decorate either!)
Looks delicious!! I’d never guess it was vegan 🙂
Happy to come across this vegan chocolate cake recipe. We’re both eating vegan for a while, and baked goods can be hard to come by. Nice touch with the cranberries.
Beautiful looking cake Evelyne, I think the piping makes it look festive 🙂 And it looks incredibly moist and fluffy, would never guess it was vegan!
love the balsamic in here! what a great cake 🙂
I think are chocolate and cranberry are such a fantastic combination. This looks delicious!
I could go for chocolate anything right now. Going through a bit of a dry season if you know what I mean. 🙁
First I have to say, I love how resourceful you are making one post work for two different groups! A multi-tasking girl after my own heart, lol. And second, I love this cake! My mom has always made something similar, calling it “Crazy Cake”; it’s so good that it’s been her go-to cake for years, and now it’s mine as well. I love the sound of your version with cranberry, especially with the addition of balsamic.
Hope the New Year is off to a wonderful start for you, my friend!
The chocolate looks stunning! The cranberry topping is extremely tempting.
Happy New Year Evelyne! Chocolate and cranberry are a nice match and it looks very moist inside! I haven’t had chocolate cake for a few months (so sad!)… This cake would make me very happy… hehe.
I’m so pleased that you were assigned Barbara! She’s my adopted mum in America and her stuff always looks so good! 😀
This is such a gorgeous cake…I hope you saved me a slice (or 3) bc I would love to sit, gab, and stuff myself with this =)
What a magnificent cake! I can’t pipe icing,either…I think I may have to break down and take a cake decorating class! But you’ve done a lovely job with the cranberry topping…and having a double duty post is wonderful, too! I moved my blog to WP, so if you want, you’ll have to resubscribe by email. Thanks for hunting me down…and happy New Year!!!
Love this cake…It looks moist and rich! wonderful vegan recipes,Evelyn! i am loving the theme this month!
I’ve never baked with vinegar – I should try when there are no eggs around
I love the spin you put on a traditional chocolate cake with that delicious cranberry topping – not only does it look delicious but the recipe looks great!
Perfect SRC pick!
Chocolate and cranberry together is one of my favorite combinations. This cake sounds so good!
How awesome that you were able to use this fabulous cake for two challenges! I love when that happens , although I only got lucky once so far in that resoect. I love Barbara’s blog and you certainly chose a great recipe. Your twist with the cranberry and one layer makes for a pretty slice! I’ll take it either way..double or single layer!
Your cake looks delish and I love the cranberry topping, yum.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC entry: Creamy Mints.
Lisa~~
Nice to see a vegan chocolate cake. And the topping looks so festive. Great idea to start the year.
Oh Evelyne, the chocolate cake looks wonderful, love the texture, and it sure looks moist…the cranberry topping must taste delicious with the chocolate.
Have a great week ahead!
Can’t go wrong with chocolate cake! Looks delicious! Happy New Year!
So glad you enjoyed the cake. Fun idea to use cranberries this time of year. I can’t do straight lines either, but it makes it look so festive.
This cake looks fantastic. I love the idea of chocolate with cranberry…so tasty! 🙂