Vegan Gluten-Free Not-So-Pink Velvet Cake

       I was asked to make a pink velvet cake for a customer so I thought, "No problem, I can do this!"  A bit of beet juice and a splash of hibiscus and everything will be, well, pink!  Alas, the name of the finished dessert should really be changed to Cookie Dough Cake.  But as the pictures will reveal, it clearly started out as a pink cake!!!  Somehow along the way, during the baking process, that pretty pink color literally baked out.  Oh well, it still tastes delicious.  I hope you enjoy this not-so-pink Velvet Cake!    

You'll need:

3 hibiscus Tea Bags 

1 tbsp Beet Root Crystals

2/3 cup hot water

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1 cup Coconut Oil

2 cups sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp Chocolate Extract

EggSubstitute, equivalent to 4 eggs

3 cups Gluten-Free All purpose Flour

1 ½ tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup Coconut milk

1 tbsp vinegar

½ Cup Lily’s Chocolate Chips

¼  Cup Cacao Nibs

       In a mug, steep hibiscus tea bags in hot water until it reaches a nice deep red color.  Set aside until needed.

       Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare two round 9” pans by greasing then flouring with gluten-free flour.

       In a medium bowl, cream the Coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then add in the extracts and continue whipping until fully creamed.

       Gradually, add in the egg substitute.  mix well to combine all ingredients.

Combine Vinegar and Coconut Milk into a cup then set aside.

       In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Pour out 1/3 cup of the hibiscus tea into a separate container.  Next, start to stir this into the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the dry ingredients and milk.  Before mixing in the 1/3 cup of hibiscus tea,

 

   dissolve the beet crystals into it the liquid.  Then mix the tea into the batter.  

 Fold in chocolate chips and cacao nibs. 

       Pour batter into prepared pans and Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.  

 Allow to cool completely before frosting. 

Vegan Pink Frosting

1 ½ Cups of Palm Shortening

3 Hibiscus Tea Bags

2/3 cup Hot Water

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

       Brew the hibiscus tea in 2/3 cup of hot water. Set aside and allow to cool.

       In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip the shortening until fluffy.  Whip in one cup of powdered sugar, Then add in two tablespoons of hibiscus tea and the extracts.  Add in a second cup of powdered sugar and another tablespoon of tea, followed by another cup of powdered sugar and the final two tablespoons of tea.  Keep whipping until the mixture becomes a little thinner.  To finish, beat in the remaining cup of powdered sugar and the shredded coconut.  If you desire a thinner frosting, just mix in splash of coconut milk.

   Spread the frosting over the bottom layer of cake for the filling, then place the second cake on top.  Finish frosting the top and sides of the cake with the REMAINING frosting.

       Enjoy!