Rhiw Chocolate Decadence Cake
By: Quintessence Challis
Published: Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 9:17pm

Ingredients




Dry Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or gluten-free 1 cup organic “white” sugar (not powdered)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch process cocoa), sifted if lumpy
1 level teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
 cup oil (sunflower, non-virgin olive, melted coconut, or 
1 cup chocolate soymilk
Freaky Frosting:
5 tablespoons (⅓ cup) plus 1 teaspoon non-hydrogenated margarine
5 1/4 cups plus 4 teaspoons organic powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
5 tablespoons (⅓ cup) plus 1 teasoon cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
 cup chocolate soymilk

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 350° F. Oil a 9 x 9-inch pan or a dozen muffin cups. Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Make sure each is lump-free and mixed very well. 2 Mix them together, but do not over-mix. Note that the batter will taste a bit odd at this point, but don’t be alarmed—any hint of vinegar will magically disappear once the cake is baked! 3 Pour into your oiled baking pan or muffin cups and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. For cupcakes, this should take about 20 minutes. For cake, it will usually take 30 minutes or more. 4 Remove from the oven and allow your chocolate newborn to cool before you frost it. 5 To make the freakishly good frosting, whip the margarine in a large bowl (using electric beaters) until it becomes somewhat fluffy. Slowly add in the remaining ingredients one at a time, in the order given. Beat at high speed until very fluffy, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. At this point, you will want to refrain from the temptation to shrink down to the size of a peanut and take a chocolate bath. You may regret it later. Next, refrigerate the frosting until the cake has cooled. 6 Frost your cake! Ideally, let the frosting warm to room temperature before serving the cake. Decorate with edible flowers, raspberries, strawberries, chocolate shavings, or anything else that makes you smile.

About


This is a recipe from "Radiant Health, Inner Wealth." (http://www.radianthealth-innerwealth.com). Here's the description from the book:
This has gotten such comments as: “This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten—vegan or not!” and “This should be illegal!” I find it’s easier to double a recipe than to cut it in half, so I have given this version which makes for one 9 x 9-inch cake. Please note that this cake isn’t overly sweet by itself since it is meant to be paired with the frosting. However, the two combined are, in a word, sublime!

Comments:
Quintessence Challis

Photo by Michelle McCluggage.
Shari Benton

I made this with gluten free flour (I have celiac) and it turned out great! Really moist and wonderful. This is my favorite cookbook and I was delighted to see her recipes on this site!