Egg-free Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 cake pan (I use butter, but if you’re going the vegan route, use your usual product/method). This recipe will make two 9-inch round cakes or 24 cupcakes. So prep whichever pan you prefer.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add cocoa powder and cinnamon and stir in with a whisk until the mixture is uniform.

In a separate bowl, add brown sugar and pour oil over top, then stir together. Add cold coffee, milk or milk substitute, vanilla and cider vinegar. Whisk together.

Pour the wet mix over the dry ingredients and whisk together quickly until fully combined. Pour into your prepared pans. Bake cakes for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If making cupcakes, reduce baking time. Cupcakes are ready in my oven in about 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven and allow cakes to cool.

Frost as desired once cool. I have posted an easy chocolate buttercream recipe in my recipe box and my family loves the combo.

Notes:
1. I used chocolate soy milk as the milk substitute in my last one and it was great. But I usually use coconut-milk beverage (not coconut water or the full-on coconut milk that comes in a can) for baking and love the results. My point: this can easily be made vegan. Use what milk-type beverage you have on hand that you’d normally drink.
2. The secret to egg-free baking is that you have to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then slap them together all at once and stir to combine them quickly. This traps the air bubbles that form as a result of the baking powder and baking soda mixing with liquid (especially acidic liquid, hence the vinegar). The faster they’re in the tin, the fluffier your end product will usually be.