The Sunday Panics.
Do you get the Sunday Panics? Let me describe the symptoms and you can tell me whether or not I’m a strangebird, or if you relate. The Sunday Panics are most often characterized by: afternoon over-caffeination, tremendous amounts of NOT quality time spent on Twitter, a kitchen full of dirty dishes, a lengthy and daunting weekly to-do list, a fair amount of brain worry, possible nail biting, an intense desire for take-out Chinese food, and low motivation coupled with nagging laziness guilt.
Do you ever get the Sunday Panics?
Yea…. me neither. Of course not.
…except I totally do.
I’ve developed a cure for the Sunday Panics.
Movement! Up. Up. UP!! In the kitchen. Make a super easy cake. Definitely do the dishes. Make the to-do list for the week, then set it aside to rest until Monday morning. Write some greeting cards for friends. Call your mama. Enjoy cake during a several hour marathon of Grey’s Anatomy or Downton Abbey. When all else fails… try bourbon in the shower and an early bedtime. Give those Sunday Panics the boot!
This chocolate cake is a total godsend.
It’s designed to be made with ingredients you already have in your kitchen. The Sunday Panics aren’t easy to combat… and a trip to the store is not going to calm our nerves.
If you have cocoa powder and vegetable oil… this cake is yours!
I added dark chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs because they were lingering in my pantry. Lingering like chocolate always lingers.
Want to know a trick? Grease a bundt pan with vegetable shortening and… instead of dusting it with flour, try cocoa powder!
When the cake comes out of the pan, there will be no white flour powder! Just chocolate. Just cake.
This is our everyday chocolate cake.
It’s always super comforting when we can turn what’s in our pantry into a warm, moist, flavorful chocolate treat without softening butter, cracking eggs, or running to the store.
This cake is a tool. It combats the impulsive sweet tooth, the accidental grumpies, and the Sunday Panic. Consider yourself armed.
ps. Real Life.
Simple Vegan Chocolate Cake
makes 1 9-inch chocolate bundt cake
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm coffee
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
small handful of chocolate chunks and/or cocoa nibs (optional)
Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch bundt pan with vegetable shortening and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs, if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. The batter will be relatively thick. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
KHM
This cake is incredible! Finally, I found a cake recipe that is vegan AND had a great crumb and texture. Thanks!!!!
Katie
Joy – I was really disappointed in this cake. I bake vegan a lot, and this was dense, crumbly and dry. I regretted serving it to people without testing it first. I did follow directions exactly, my baking soda/powder isn’t old, and my new oven’s temperature is accurate. I baked it for 30 minutes. Anyway, I still love your blog and your cookbook, even if this was not your best recipe.
Season
This recipe looks perfect for me! I’m nursing and need to eliminate dairy, but desparately need my desserts! Chocolate cake in particular! Question, what could I substitute for the coffee? Or could it be eliminated altogether? Thanks! Love you Joy!
Brooke
My husbands FAVORITE cake. It is the only breakfast food that he wants. Thanks Joy.
Main
Yaaaay, love this recepie!! I am also allergic to dairy, so I REALLY appreciate some vegan love here. One question, why should the coffee be hot?
Gomi
Hi Joy, this cake looks amazing! Does it have to be made in a Bundt pan or will a normal cake tin work? Love your recipies! x
Lydia
Thank you for sharing. Good to see that more people suffer from these things. I usually make myself get up and do something I like and then one thing that has to be done.
The cake sounds nice and useful to have for vegan friends.