At an early age, I was resigned to the idea that I would never eat cake. It was always a given that I wouldn’t be able to partake in any sort of celebratory treat at school, parties, sporting events, potlucks, etc. Dairy and desserts went hand in hand I knew better than to bother asking about the ingredients because those inquiries always ended in disappointment and pity from everyone else as they chowed down. I accepted the notion that I wouldn't get to eat any sort of baked treat unless my mom tried to make something for an extra special occasion—and it typically involved plenty of substitutes that had a tendency to hamper the outcome.

Then one day, my brother, who also has dairy and egg allergies, came home from second grade boasting that he had eaten a cupcake at school. I didn’t believe it. He surely was going to be sick any moment and the joke would be on him for daring to eat that cupcake in the first place...but he didn’t. As it turns out, the parent who brought them was way ahead of the vegan curve and the cupcakes were, indeed, free of dairy and eggs. My mom immediately chatted up the parent and got what would ultimately become the most baked dessert recipe in our house for the decades that followed. You can even see all the batter and debris on the recipe page below.

*One very well-loved recipe! Also, I can't believe we've been making it since 2001.*

I have never been a frosting person; I much prefer my sweets dusted with powdered sugar. It looks so elegant, especially on the ultra dark cake, but I supposed you could technically put frosting on these guys.

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Cake (or Cupcakes)

This recipe makes (1) 9"x13" sheet cake, (18) cupcakes, or (6) cupcakes + (1) 9" round cake.

Ingredients

2 1/4 C. flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl.
Mix wet ingredients together in smaller bowl.
Pour wet ingredient blend into dry ingredients and mix till combined.
Pour cake batter into cake pan or cupcake tins of your choice.
Bake till done (~20 min for cupcakes, ~35 min for cake)—a toothpick should come out clean when cooked completely.
Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy :)

If you want to get really fancy, you can make two cake rounds, slap some Oreo crumbles and ice cream in between, then slather it with chocolate sauce and more cookies to make an epic vegan ice cream cookie cake. I made this one for my brother's birt… — If you want to get really fancy, you can make two cake rounds, slap some Oreo crumbles and ice cream in between, then slather it with chocolate sauce and more cookies to make an epic vegan ice cream cookie cake. I made this one for my brother's birthday a few years back and it was a huge hit. I don't think any of his friends even realized it was totally vegan...muhahaha :)