Delightful Vegan Double Chocolate Cake (free of: gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, and cane-sugar) - with a VIDEO

Last week I shared my trip to the East Coast.  It was all amazing.  But there is one thing I just CANNOT get out of my head: Babycakes.  It was there in that small, cramped, ridiculously cute and hip little bakery I fell in love with chocolate cake.  Yes, we are in love and it's going great...although we haven't seen each other since May.  Hum...how to see more of this chocolate cake?  This long distance thing is NOT working out.  So I set out on a mission.  Recreate this moist, fluffy, delicious cake at home.  Now I know Babycakes has a cookbook, but I thought this would be a great learning experience and baking challenge.  You see, I'm NOT a baker (it's not something I particularly enjoy).  But I plan on changing this.  So this non-baker is ready for the challenge: to make the perfect dairy-free, gluten-free, cane-sugar free, vegan chocolate cake.  Well my friends, after much trial and error, this non-baker did it (can I call myself a baker? perhaps after I perfect my grain free baking).  At any rate, I am pleased to share with you: my very own chocolate cake recipe.  And it's everything I love about chocolate cake (er, or cake in general), everything I never knew I loved.  I'm no chocoholic (like my sweet husband) but I will say this cake makes my toes curl up a little.  I've baked this thing about 15 times (no joke) and the last 3 batches came out perfectly consistent, so I feel confident sharing the recipe.  I wanted to make sure the recipe was precise with exact measurements.  Please follow my notes too, as this will ensure a superior cake.  I'm very proud of this recipe.  I hope you enjoy it too.  Tastes fab with a cold glass of dairy-free milk (such as my homemade walnut milk).  Cheers.  

~See below for chocolate cake making video~

P.S.  Nine people taste tested different variations of this recipe (and yes, I even printed out questionnaires regarding the texture, sweetness, chocolaty-ness, etc.).  The below recipe was the favorite, and overall, the taste testers claimed they could barely tell this cake from traditional chocolate cake (taste testers also favored frosting #2).  

Delightful Vegan Double Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients (please see notes below about weighing flours)
-1/2 cup (55 grams) garbanzo/fava bean flour  
-1/2 cup (60 grams) (1/2 cup) sorghum flour 
-1/3 cup (40 grams) (1/3 cup) tapioca starch
-1/2 cup (40 grams) raw cacao powder 
-1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon GF baking powder 
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) xanthan gum
-1/4 teaspoon salt 

Wet Ingredients (please see notes below about measuring wet ingredients)
-1/2 cup (155 grams) room temp maple syrup (I recommend grade B)*
-2/3 cup (175 grams) room temperature unsweetened applesauce 
-1/2 cup (105 grams) liquid coconut oil  
-2/3 cup (155 grams) hot water (just before it starts to boil)
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia (3 grams)

How To:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Prepare cake pans by oiling and dusting with flour (I use coconut oil or grapeseed and sorghum flour for dusting  - or you can use parchment paper, but I prefer the oil/four method.  I DO NOT recommend using a glass pan.  If you do use a glass pan use baking parchment paper for the bottom to prevent sticking.  A regular non-stick cake pan is recommended and I've only made this recipe in non-stick pans. 
3.  In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients  
4.  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients
5.  SIFT dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until well combined (do not over mix).  The batter will become thick, this is normal.  Scoop batter into cake pan and spread out with silicone spatchula.  Tap down pans to even out batter. 
6.  Baking instructions: 
-For two 9" cake pans filled with one batch of batter, bake for 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry). You may need to bake 3 to 5 minutes longer in the wet, winter months.  Check at 20 minutes and continue on from there.    
-For one 9" cake pan filled with one batch of batter, bake 20  - 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry). Bake up to 28 minutes in the wet, winter months. Check at 20 minutes and go continue from there.  
-For cupcakes, bake 20 - 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry).  Bake a little longer (maybe 2 or 3 minutes) in the wet winter months. When cupcakes come out of the oven, immediately remove the paper cups and cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack.  
7.  Allow cakes to cool on cooling rack for 30 - 45 minutes

-The recipe in this post will yield 15 cupcakes, or 1 round cake which would be just a single layer (baked in one 9 inch cake pan), or two single layer cakes (which is the double layer shown in the pictures - the batch is obviously split between two 9 inch cake pans). 

Frosting #1:

Ingredients
-2 very ripe avocados 
-3/4 cup raw cacao powder 
-1/2 cup maple syrup + 10 drops liquid stevia (adjust sweetness to taste)
-1/3 cup melted coconut oil

How To:
1.  Mix all ingredients in a food processor until creamy, smooth and well incorporated.  Frost cake.  This frosting yields enough for two layers (the above recipe baked in two 9 inch cake pans).

Frosting #2:

Ingredients
-1/3 cup vegetable shortening
-1/3 cup grade B maple syrup (or more to taste)
-1/4 cup liquid coconut oil 
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-5 - 10 drop liquid stevia (to taste)
-1/2 cup (40 grams) raw cacao powder 

How To:
1.  Add ingredients to a food processor and blend until well incorporated.  Frost cake.  This frosting yields enough for one layer of cake (the above recipe baked in one 9 inch cake pan).
2.  Place in fridge to firm up frosting if need be.

Recipe Notes:
*I cannot guarantee results of this recipe if flour weights and liquid measurements are not followed exactly.  Just sayin...!
*I highly recommend weighing the flours.  This will ensure a superior cake.  Being off with the flour too much or too little will compromise the texture of the cake.  So PLEASE invest in a scale with grams and ounces.  
*Please ONLY use a glass Pyrex measuring cup when measuring liquids.  Do not use tin measuring cups, as there is a big difference in these measurements.  I've also included liquid measurements in grams for accuracy.   

Chocolate Cake from Amber Husten on Vimeo.

Single Layer with shortening frosting:

Double Layer with avocado frosting:

Cupcakes with avocado frosting:

Shared on: Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Motivate Me Mondays, Monday Mania, Mealtime Monday,  My Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, On The Menu Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursday, Keep It Real Thursdays, Pennywise Platter Thursdays, Wellness Weekend, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Friday Food, Whole Foods Friday, My Birthday Pot Luck Party Friday, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Sweet Saturday,