Everywhere you look this month, it seems there
is chocolate-covered everything! So when
I got my hands on some of the best locally grown strawberries I had ever seen,
I knew I needed to come up with a chocolate-covered strawberry something…why
not a cake? And if it was going to be a
cake, why not a vegan and gluten-free dessert? I hope you enjoy this chocolaty creation!
You'll
need:
1
cup sugar
1/2
cup brown sugar
1
tsp cinnamon
1
½ tsp baking powder
1
½ tsp baking soda
1
teaspoon salt
1/2
cup coconut oil
½
cup pumpkin puree
1
tbsp vinegar
2
tsp Butter Flavor
1
tbsp vanilla extract
1
Cup Diced Fresh Strawberries
1
cup hot water
In a medium bowl, combine the sugars,
flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In
a separate bowl, whip together coconut oil, pumpkin, coconut milk, vinegar, and
vanilla. Then slowly add the liquid mixture
to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Next, fold in the chocolate chips, cacao nibs,
and strawberries.
Add the hot water to the batter and mix
well, until batter thins out. Pour
evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until a
toothpick comes out clean.
Once the cakes have finished baking, allow
to cool completely before frosting.
Marshmallow Fluff
Frosting
4
cups powdered sugar
1
tbsp vanilla extract
So
Delicious Coconut Milk, as needed
Okay, so this may be the very same frosting
recipe that I used in my Pumpkin Marshmallow cake...but...I just knew this was the frosting needed to make this cake a little
piece of perfection. If you’d rather use
a simpler recipe, then just whip up the palm shortening with three cups of
powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla.
But for those of you who are willing to put in the extra effort to
achieve maximum deliciousness, then follow the directions below for Vegan
Marshmallow Fluff Frosting…
To
begin, use an electric mixer in a medium bowl and beat the palm shortening
until light and fluffy. Add in one cup
of powdered sugar then whip until it is thick enough to make it hard to continue
whipping. Then add in the extracts and
about half a tablespoon of coconut milk and mix well. Add in another cup of powdered sugar and mix
until completely combined.
Spray a glass cereal bowl with cooking
spray and place eight vegan marshmallows in the bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 20
seconds. Remove the bowl, stir, then mix
in about two tablespoons of coconut milk.
Stick it back in the microwave for another 18-20 seconds. Take out of the microwave and continue to
stir, stir, stir.
Quickly fold the melted marshmallows into
the frosting mixture. Add a third cup of
powdered sugar followed by a splash of coconut milk. Finally, whip in the last cup of powdered
sugar and voilà ! You now have a VEGAN marshmallow fluff
frosting!
Assemble
the cake layers, then fill, frost generously, serve, and enjoy!