(Vegan) Chocolate cake - the best ever!

 I've baked a vegan chocolate cake before and while it was good - it felt like a compromise. For my kids birthday I was looking for a recipe which would be as close to a non-vegan chocolate cake as possible. Since I've tried a few recipes from Nora Cooks, I thought I would give her chocolate cake recipe a shot. Sure enough it was the best ever chocolate cake (vegan or not)! I know that because DH who doesn't like chocolate cakes that much loved it and said he wouldn't know it was vegan! The cake was moist, chocolatey and just the right amount of sweet!

I followed the recipe to the T - for the cake as well as the frosting, except for a few replacements like replacing the almond milk with soy milk because that is what we have.

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

• 1 cup soy milk (we use the WestSoy soy milk which is just water and soybeans)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate buttercream frosting

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups earth balance vegan butter, softened, baking sticks preferred
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9X13 inch pan with parchment paper. I grease the sides with some oil.
  
• Add the vinegar to the soy milk, set it aside and let it curdle. Don't worry when you see it all curdled - that's how it's supposed to be.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
  
• Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla and soy milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer  until well combined. 
  
• Add the boiling water. I first boiled the water on stove and then measured 1 cup. Continue mixing till the mixture is well blended. The batter will be runny.
  
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  
• If you want to frost the cake, let it cool first.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• In a large bowl, add the softened vegan butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamed.
  
• Now add the cocoa and continue mixing until well combined. If you add the cocoa first and then add the butter, the cocoa blows off due to all the air. Creaming the butter first helps.
• Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the soy milk, and mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. Mix until fluffy and combined.
• If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold it's shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.