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Lucy Lean

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in Baking· Birthday· birthday cake· cake· KitchnFlix· RECIPES· video

Best Chocolate Cake EVER

The Wowie Cake – Otherwise known as the Salad Dressing Cake
Or Best Vegan Cake EVER
Or A Depression Cake
Recipe adapted from Annabelle Carter Lee

Copyright2016LucyLean--4This cake has quickly become a family and friends favorite – it’s quick to make up, never fails and is rich, moist and chocolatey. Minty and I had a lot of fun filming the video together – there’s something extra special about a mother and daughter baking together.  Thank you Annabelle for introducing this magnificent cake into our lives and sending me the straight sided pans so that I can make the perfect layer cake every time. I made it for Didier’s birthday yesterday and knowing there was cake the neighbors marched on over, armed with Champagne, to sing Happy Birthday.
Copyright2016LucyLean-8074A word about it being naturally vegan – made from oil and vinegar – so basically salad dressing with cocoa powder – that’s the soft and moist cake part – but I like to slather it in traditional buttercream frosting – so obviously this then takes it out of the vegan category!  I did make up a separate bowl of coconut cream frosting for my vegan friend and neighbor Claudia – but this is a work in progress and still a little too runny to use to decorate the cake so for now I’m sticking with the regular buttercream frosting.

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I added a shot of espresso to the recipe instead of plain water.  I find the coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate and adds depth of flavor to the cake.  I’m not sure if it was the weather, the addition of caffeine or the speed with which I whipped up Didier’s birthday cake but the cakes rose more in the oven and everyone agreed it was lighter and even more delicious than previous versions of the cake.Copyright2016LucyLean-7585

Chocolate Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup Dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 espresso + cold water to make up 2 cups of liquid
2/3 cup vegetable oil (we used Thrive (algea oil) but coconut oil or Crisco but NOT Canola Oil)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

8oz softened butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 shot of espresso (cooled)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the base of two cake pans with parchment paper and wipe the sides with kitchen towel dipped in a little oil.
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  2. In the bowl of the KitchenAid electric stand mixer sift together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt)
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  3. Add the wet ingredients, (espresso, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla) and mix until smooth stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Divide between the two pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  5. Invert cake out on to wire rack to cool and peel off parchment paper.
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  6. Once completely cool sandwich and cover with your favorite frosting. We used chocolate buttercream frosting in ours but if you want to keep it vegan you could dust the top with powdered sugar and serve. Enjoy! WOWIE!
  7. To make the frosting in the stand mixer beat together the butter, cocoa powder, confectioners sugar and espresso until totally combined and ready to spread. Place 1/3 on top of one cake and sandwich together. Then frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting and top with a sparkler.
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  8. Sparklers make the cake… and the Tops Malibu sparkler toppers are our favorites – be it heart or star or numbers. And the large sparklers are great for any and all celebrations.
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And yes there was left over cake – eaten by Rémy for breakfast after a dark and very stormy night… woken by huge thunder bolts and lightening, very very frightening…

Filed Under: Baking, Birthday, birthday cake, cake, KitchnFlix, RECIPES, video Tagged With: best chocolate cake, buttercream frosting, Cake, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, depression era cake, easy cake recipe, easy chocolate cake, sparklers, Tops Malibu Sparklers, vegan cake, wowie cake

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I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watc I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth.  #WutheringHeights #EmilyBronte the in between - How it started How it ended - bedroom monochromatic light at 7am this morning to 7pm tonight and cocktail time with Tink gin and @david_austin_roses post parents evening and then in the middle I went on a walk with @chloescotland - actually it was an adventure to find the prettiest 13th century church with a moat and a graveyard filled with snowdrops and the tiniest grave - a child? And headstones that were leaning over - I thought tipsy Chloe thought giving up and I was reminded of the Brontë passage about #unquietslumbers #ghostsinmygarden swop harebells for snowdrops - the peace and quiet of a tiny graveyard with a moat and lopsided headstones and peace and quiet - a moment of calm and hope as the #inauguration looms large and as we keep to the rules of lockdown #stayhome #staysafe
Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
#snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops #snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops today - last year the lawn was carpeted in white, this year nothing.  Maybe they are late? Painted a small bunch #oilpaint #flowerpainting #snowdroppainting a sign of #spring I chickened out of painting the tiny glass jug that was a Christmas present - not sure I know how to paint that aqua colour - help!  #EnglishCountryhouse #EnglishCountryGarden #englishcountryside #Lockdown #Staysafe #stayhome
Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketc Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketch - we haven’t had snow but this magical frozen landscape is a beautiful alternative - painting again because that’s what got me through the last lockdown #painting #Englishcountryhouse #Englishcountryside #frost #ice #lockdown #staysafe #stayhome
#Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world o #Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world of #covid #brexit #onlineschool  #Georgia and then the #insurrection in D.C. I took it easy today - I tidied and cleaned #declutter #springcleaning I even cleaned out the #snack cupboard and found the plates I bought and had put in a safe place @jimbobart and made a couple of loaves of @richardbertinet #sourdough ready to wake up and bake tomorrow xxx #stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #Englishinteriors #Georgian #architecture
I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for tr I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for truly making America great again - Midnight snack - someone ate the whole pumpkin pie but was thoughtful enough to leave me a slice for breakfast... time to make more! Peach pie 🥧 for everyone x #Epiphany
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