Easy Guilt-free Chocolate Cake

Though I am not a big fan of the Moosewood cookbooks, I did find this gem of a recipe in one of the books.  This has become my standard chocolate cupcake recipe.  You can make the batter in less than five minutes and if you use good quality cocoa, it makes a dark brown cupcake that is light, airy and not too rich.  While I am inherently suspicious of all things vegan as butter MUST be better, do not be turned off by this recipe.  It really is fabulous.  You can also dress it up with a chocolate butter-cream frosting.  However, the glaze below is easy and tasty.

Yield: 12 cupcakes or one 9" round cake 

1  1/2 cup white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Droste or Valhrona
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 t vanilla extract
2 T white vinegar (this works with the soda to raise the cake)

Glaze (I find half of this is enough for the cupcakes)

1/2 pound good quality bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup hot water, milk or half-and-half
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 F.  If you are making cupcakes, place 12 paper muffin cups in the muffin pans.  For the cake, butter and flour a 9" round cake pan.

Sift together (or mix well) in a big bowl, flour, cocoa, soda, salt and sugar.

In a two-cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water or coffee and vanilla.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until smooth with a whisk.

When the batter is smooth add the vinegar and stir JUST UNTIL MIXED! (You will see pale swirls where vinegar and soda are reacting, stir just until these are almost gone.)

If you are making cake, bake in a 9" round pan for 25 to 30 minutes.  For cupcakes, fill the tins with the batter until about 1/8" below rim and bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.  Try not to over bake; the batter makes a moist cake, if you over cook it will dry out.  The cake keeps for several days in the refrigerator in a well sealed container.

Let the cake cool in the pan before removing and adding glaze.

Making the Glaze

Melt the glaze ingredients in small heavy saucepan over the lowest heat, stirring constantly.  I have found that some chocolates do not melt well, for instance Sharffenberger.  (Since Sharffenberger was bought out, the new chocolate never emulsifies properly.)  Since I don't own a microwave (nasty oversized piece of useless equipement), I can't advise you on how to melt the glaze. If you try the nuker, just do it very slowly at low power.

When the mixture is smooth remove from the stove (err on the side of taking it off the stove sooner with a few lumps still remaining rather than later) and spoon over the cake.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.

Note on Cocoa:
Use only very high quality cocoa, otherwise you’ll get these reddish brown cupcakes that don’t taste right.  If you think Ghiridelli is good chocolate, think again!  And don’t even try Nestle or Hershey cocoa, they are disgusting!