Not always remarkable quality is determined by the high price and incredible labor costs. Crazy vegan cake is a wonderful confirmation of this. Its prime cost is extremely low, no hard-to-reach products are required for it, and even a seventh grader can easily cope with cooking. And, nevertheless, its wonderful chocolate taste is famous all over the world!
Let's try to cook this wonderful dessert. In the meantime, he bakes, a little deeper into the story - because it is so interesting and unusual!
About the Great Depression, world fame and universal love
At the beginning of the last century, America was going through hard times ... Massive unemployment, inflation, a lack of basic necessities - all this primarily affected the lives of ordinary people. However, the rest of the world did not live easier.
What does cooking have to do with it, you ask? But it was political and economic processes that caused one of the most popular desserts in the world. And it was in those harsh conditions that the recipe for super-chocolate “crazy cake” was born, which even after almost a hundred years pleases adults and children all over the world. And almost all year round - yes, even during church fasting!
Chocolate Vegan Cake. Recipe
Don't you think that the word "crazy" came from nowhere? These are ordinary cakes made by all sorts of boring rules, not Crazy Cake! Therefore, we do not even need a bowl for the test. And we will not extinguish soda with vinegar, as is usually the case. We’ll cook right in the cake pan, like this. First, pour 2 cups of flour there, add 0.5 cups of cocoa, a teaspoon of soda and a glass of sugar.
And in another bowl, mix 3/4 cup refined oil with two glasses of water and a tablespoon of vinegar. Pour the liquid into the mold, mix thoroughly and send it to the oven preheated to 180 ° C.
Plowed field of experiments
Who doesn’t like chocolate? Well, if someone does not like, then he has few like-minded people. We all love for sure, that's why we are preparing a vegan chocolate cake. And what is the best combination of chocolate with? Unambiguously answer this question oh how difficult ... You can safely list many products: nuts and dried fruits, fresh berries, cottage cheese, cream, caramel and much more.
And all these wonderful additions can be used for culinary experiments with the Crazy Cake. Want a change? Just add a handful of chopped hazelnuts, a few slices of prune slices or dried apricots, half a glass of raisins to the dough.
And here is another unusual way of making dessert, so to speak, for adults. In a dough for shortcakes, add a glass of fresh, frozen or dried cherry. Sprinkle with one or two tablespoons of aromatic instant coffee. Soak the finished cakes with cognac and cover with melted dark chocolate. And, despite the relatively low cost, we get a meal worthy of a solid restaurant.
Do you like pastries with berries? Feel free to experiment with raspberries, currants, blueberries, cranberries. Do not ignore the exotic: slices of tangerines, kiwi, pineapple, banana. The taste of the dessert will be especially exquisite if the berries or pieces of fruit are caramelized in plain or brown sugar before laying in the dough.
However, you can cook any favorite cream and our cake will turn into a real cake, which will decorate even a solemn festive table.
And who said that the dough prepared according to this recipe needs to be poured into a cake mold? This is not necessary at all! We take molds for muffins, fill to half, bake until cooked and decorate as we see fit. A great addition to an evening tea party, and you can take it with you as a snack.
A find for vegans
The first Crazy Cake was literally blinded from what was at hand, from simple and inexpensive products that are in every home. Apparently, the inventors were so pleased with the result that they generously shared the recipe with neighbors and friends, and those, in turn, with someone else. Over time, the “crazy pie” attracted those who observe church fasts - because there is not a single non-food product in it. Today, many apply the name “vegan cake” to this dessert, but, in fairness, it must be said that although it fits into the concept of vegetarianism, the inventor did not set such a goal for himself initially. Although this is unlikely to have any significance for those who do not eat animal products. After all, the main thing is that their culinary piggy banks replenished a recipe for a delicious, fragrant, very chocolate and inexpensive pie.
Cream and topping in the same style
And since we are talking about vegetarian cuisine, it is worth mentioning about the cream. Those who decide to cook a real vegan cake should not use tiled chocolate to decorate their purchase (because it contains dairy products). It is better to cook icing from ordinary cocoa. Do not forget about the classic vegan spices: pectin, agar-agar, with which you can cook many healthy and tasty sweets.
By the way, you can decorate a vegan cake with ordinary berry jelly. A jam syrup is great for soaking cakes.
You can also make a special, vegan cream. Such a recipe is also suitable for those who fast or do not eat animal products for medical reasons. To prepare the "filling", beat the vegan margarine, gradually adding sugar. Previously, you can hold a sprig of vanilla in the sugar for a short while - then the cream will have the corresponding aroma.
A delicious cream is also obtained from coconut milk. It just needs to be cooled and whipped with powdered sugar (or agave syrup) until smooth. With chocolate cake crazy coconut flavor blends just fine!
Other vegan sweets
There are other dessert recipes in a healthy kitchen. For example, a vegan cake without baking. And, by the way, not one! While our “crazy cake” is baking, we will familiarize ourselves with the experience of those who prefer healthy food.
So vegans make lots of great cakes without baking. Usually, they are based on purchased cakes made from ground nuts, dried fruits, and cereal grains. You can decorate such a cake with fruits and berries. And we already know how to make a vegan cream for such a pie.
Serving to the table
Is it time to look into the oven? Vegan cake bakes pretty fast!
To make the cake easily jump out of the mold, let it cool slightly by placing a damp towel under the bottom. And while an amazing chocolate aroma spreads around the house, we’ll get a large serving dish on which our cake will show off in the middle of the table. The surface of the cake can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or fried nuts. And as an addition, you can make delicious tea or serve fruit compote.
By the way, a vegan cake, the recipe of which came to us from across the ocean, can also be served with overseas alcoholic drinks: punch, mulled wine, sangria.