Knock-Your-Socks-Off Vegan Chocolate Cake

This is our go-to cake recipe now. After years of making 'depression cake' for our egg- and dairy-allergic son, we finally discovered that xanthan gum is the necessary ingredient for combating crumbly cake! This can easily be a vegan cake, or a not-necessarily-vegan cake, you throw together with stuff in your pantry! Cool completely, frost as desired, and enjoy!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 373 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• cooking spray
• 2 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
• 2 cups demerara sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Step 2

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Add water, sugar, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract to dry ingredients; mix until batter is just moistened and pour into the prepared baking dish.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.