Becca here, with a recipe that I was super excited to experiment with, and make. My youngest son has had some significant health issues that impacted his eating, so until a few months ago, he was still on formula exclusively, without any safe foods. For his 1st Birthday, we weren't able to have any kind of cake, I froze his formula into a popsicle shape, because that's all he could have. So, now that he has a lot of safe foods, we were super excited (ecstatic may be a better word!) to make him his 1st Birthday Cake, for his 2nd Birthday. I did a lot of research on cake recipes, since it was important to me that it tasted good, I wanted him to be able to eat the same cake as everyone else, that it was dairy and corn free, and 100% whole wheat. I settled on a variation of a Crazy Cake, a depression era cake that doesn't use eggs, butter, or milk. I was really pleased with the way the cake turned out, and several party guests without dietary restrictions commented on how much they enjoyed it also. I definitely don't think it tasted "healthy" or "dairy free"; it was very moist, and had a great flavor. An unexpected bonus, was that you actually mix the cake up in the 9x13 pan, so there isn't a mixing bowl to wash also!!
I will be sharing the dairy-free "buttercream" recipe on the blog soon as well.
Dairy-Free, 100% Whole Wheat, Chocolate Cake
3 cups whole wheat flour (I recommend King Arthur brand, or grinding your own, the results are significantly better I think!)
2 cups sugar (I use unbleached, cane sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (I use "Real Salt" or Pink Himalayan)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like a dark or dutch cocoa powder, and fair trade is important to our family as well)
3/4 olive oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (we make our own in large batches).
2 cups tap water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together in an ungreased, 9x13 glass baking pan.
Make three wells. Pour oil into one, vinegar into the second, and vanilla into the third.
Pour cold water over everything, and stir well with a fork. Be sure to scrape the edges and bottom, and make sure it is thorougly mixed.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator. We thought it tasted just as good, or maybe even better, the second day.
I assume that is supposed to read "3/4 cup olive oil"?
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