Recipe Remix: Amma's Caramel Chocolate Cake (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Once upon a time I started a blog and never updated it....

Here is my version of my Amma's Caramel Chocolate Cake, deliciously remixed as vegan and gluten-free. 

If you use eggs, it is dairy and gluten-free but obviously not vegan. It would change the cake texture slightly but as you can see from the photo, it's quite "cake-ish" even without eggs.

I used this Gluten & Dairy-Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake recipe from Baked Bree with a few modifications.

My Modified Cake Recipe:

• 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup boiling water (microwaved in a glass measuring cup for 3 minutes)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup almond meal (I buy almond meal from Bulk Barn but you can also make your own with a food processor, vitamix, or coffee grinder. It's actually really easy, I promise)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (the original recipe just uses 1 1/2 cups almond meal, which would work perfectly well, I'm sure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar 
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 3 eggs  3 egg substitute(s) (I tried one of each: chia, mashed ripe banana, and xanthan gum)
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (like these ones made by Enjoy Life)

Cake Directions: 

1. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water in a measuring cup. Add the vanilla. It will be a thickish paste.
2. In another small bowl, combine the almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the sugar, olive oil, and eggs/egg substitute(s) in the bowl of an electric mixer.
4. Reduce the mixer speed and add the cocoa mixture.
5. Add the almond meal mixture.
6. Cut parchment paper to fit and line two small rectangular aluminum cake pans. 
7. Divide the batter into the two pans and add chocolate chips to the top of each pan. The cakes won't rise or change shape much without eggs so keep that in mind when putting the batter into the pans. 
8. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The sides will be set and the center will look slightly damp. 
9. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 
10. Carefully remove the cake from the pans and allow to cool. Leave the parchment paper on the cake until completely cooled and then gently peel it off. 

My Amma's original icing recipe uses butter and milk so I modified it to be dairy-free/vegan.

Icing Recipe

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 can unsweetened full fat coconut milk (drained)
• 1-4 Tablespoons coconut/almond/soy milk (I used Silk's Coconut Almond Blend)
• 2-3 cups icing sugar

Icing Directions

1. In a small pot, bring coconut oil, brown sugar, and coconut milk to a rolling boil, stirring constantly!
2. Allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes. It should look caramel coloured and be fairly thick. 
3. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 
4. Once cool enough to touch, stir in icing sugar about 1/4 cup at a time. Keep adding icing sugar until the desired consistency and amount is reached. If the mixture gets too dry/thick, add 1 Tablespoon of coconut/almond milk and stir. 
5. Put that tasty icing on your cake, in your coffee, and in your mouth. 

I iced and layered the two cakes, which made for a very cute (and dense!) layer cake. You could easily bake this in a single cake pan and ice the top. It makes me very happy to be able to bake something that my Amma has made for years in a new and adaptable way. Enjoy!