Family Friendly Chocogasm Cake

Made this last night for Thanksgiving guests. I first made this during my time abroad in Paris, where there were few vegan dessert options. Nobody could resist seconds then, nobody could resist seconds now. 'Twas a smashing hit and I am happy to report that the entire thing is gone now. Furthermore, I've been getting numerous requests for this recipe for future dinner occasions. So, without further ado, here it is! I tweaked the recipe I found on Instructables by substituting apple sauce for oil and decreasing the sugar amount.


Ingredients:

Cake:
-1 1/4 cup flour (I used a combo of whole wheat and all purpose flour)
-1/2 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar for the cake and the glazing)
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup warm water
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
-1 tsp distilled white vinegar

Glaze:
-1/3 cup sugar
-4 tbsp margarine
-2 tbsp soymilk
-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-almond flakes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2.Mix all the dry ingredients for the cake. (Use a fork to stir and make sure it's thoroughly mixed.)
3. Add the wet ingredients for the cake. Use spatula to mix until smooth and pour into an 8x8 cake pan, or a pie pan in my case.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Stick a knife into it to check if it's done; it should come out clean. If not, leave it in there for 5-10 more minutes.
5. Let it cool for about 1 hour.
6. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 2 minutes. Remember to keep stirring!
7. Let the glaze cool for about a minute before pouring it evenly onto the cake. Sprinkle with almond flakes or a topping of your choice.
8. Stick in the fridge overnight, or 2 hours if you can't wait any longer. It tastes better when chilled.

Happy eating! :)

P.S. Also, since I have been peer-pressured (you know who you are) into continuing to update this blog after my long hiatus...you'll hopefully be hearing from me soon. Yay!