Have you ever seen the movie, Matilda?
Every time someone mentions chocolate cake, I unfortunately think of a scene from Matilda, where a boy named Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake. It’s so gross that even I am turned off of chocolate for a while.
Miss Trunchbull kept the whole school late because this boy ate some chocolate cake.
Healthy Chocoholic Cake
- 1 and ½ cups whole-wheat flour (180g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2/3 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white)
- ¾ cup cold water
Mix dry ingredients. Then add wet. Mix with a fork (not beaters). Pour into a greased and lined cake pan, and bake in a preheated oven at 355F for about thirty minutes. Cool before frosting.
Above, topped with my incredible Chocolate Bar Pie.
Somewhere, Bruce Bogtrotter is smiling.
Edit: I’m so honored this triple mousse fudge cake was featured as Vegan.com’s Dessert of the Year.
{ 200 comments… read them below or add one }
That cake is so cute!! I loved Matilda as a kid.
Aaww, that cake is adorable!!!! Love the Charlie Brown picture! And I totally don’t blame you on not wasting your fudge cake on college boys. They have just about the least discerning palettes in the world. lol
Oh-and I LOVE Matilda. That’s one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid. That cake scene is pretty gross, though.
Wow wow thank you so much for this, never seen a vegan cake recipe so nice and simple before, will definitely be making this sometime!
One word: YUM!
What a cute cake, Katie! You are so talented.
And I don’t buy the fat free = healthier thing either…you are right, it’s really hard to spread the message that fat isn’t bad when the media does such a great job of making us believe it is!
Oh and what does the cider vinegar do for the cake?
Vinegar is used to make the cake light and fluffy
. It reacts with the baking soda.
That cake turned out adorable Katie! Love it.
Ahh, lovely ! You’re making me hungry
I was just wondering; out of what did you draw/make the Peanuts characters ?
<3
I really wanted to do them in fondant, so they’d be 100% edible. But I ran out of time
. So I hand-drew them on paper… and told everyone NOT to eat them hehe.
You and I should have a movie marathon together – you always mention movies I like to watch. I don’t watch Matilda so much any more, but it’s still on the shelf.
You are so sweet to bring a chocolate cake to your friends’ party. It looks so delicious and pretty too! You have so much talent.
As for fat-free, I was never realy a fan. I prefer the eat yummy healthy food diet: avocado chocolate pudding, peanut butter oatmeal, fudge babies, and lots and lots of fruits and vegetables. Mmm… fats taste too good to remove them from my diet. (As I munch on pb cup fudge babies… my favourite!)
Yeah, I shudder to think what my life (not to mention my poor skin) would be like without fats. Artisana coconut butter, alone, is enough to make me a big-fat believer!
That cake looks amazing! I bought into the “fat = bad” idea for a long time. It wasn’t until I started reading In Defense of Food (by Michael Pollan) that I realized fat-free wasn’t always a good thing! Have you read that book?
I haven’t, but I’ve only heard good things about it!
:/
Yeah, it just sucks that Pollan is SUCH an ARSE about veg*n stuff.
He drives me batty. I agree with him that we should be eating real food but his idea of real food includes animals and he loves to propagate the humane myth. Not a fan. No sir.
This blogger nails my issues with him pretty well:
http://saywhatmichaelpollan.wordpress.com/
I like fat free as long as it’s made with real ingredients.. I don’t like fat free tofu. Tofu is supposed to have some fat.. but I love using real tofu in frosting..does that make sense? I also love to make my baked goods fat free and then ice them with something that contains natural fat.. the best of both words in my opinion!
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as fat-free tofu lol.
I love that movie! It’s one of my favorites. But I agree, that scene is a bit gross and it’s a wonder that I love chocolate or cake at all after seeing it.
You’re such a good artist! You decorated wonderfully.
I also brought vegan “special diet” food to my party. AND it was sugar-free (just sort of happened that way). With chocolate of course.
umm YES major culprit right here. and it was only other bloggers who showed me how all the fat-free stuff was WORSE.. boy have i learned… i still have some reduced sugar jam in the fridge that i cnt wait to use up so i can buy fruit preserves.. and not the yucky preservative sweetener added kind i have- cringe!
this cake looks amazing!!! i cnt believe only 4 tsp of cocoa gave it such a rich color- the frosting decoration is what makes it though!
I always think of that same scene in Matilda when I see a big ole’ chocolate cake, too!! Haha! That part of the movie is so sickening…! Poor kid.
My mom’s birthday is coming up and I said I’d make her cake, she wants chocolate! So I’m thinking this will be the perfect recipe!
Aw your mom is so lucky to have a sweetheart daughter to make her a homemade birthday cake!
That Charlie Brown cake is adorable! I love it
I love the cake and I love Matilda! I’ve only seen the movie once but I read the book plenty of times when I was younger.
The Charlie Brown theme is super cute
Oh yes, how could I forget the books?! Roald Dahl was a genius storyteller! Esiotrot was one of my favorites!
O my gosh thank you for bringing back a great memory! I Love Rhole Dahl Esiotrot was my favorite of his! And The Witches! I wonder if my college library has his stuff…
Yeay – vegan cake!! Can’t wait to give this one a try…. well, actually I will wait until we are having dinner guests to share the cake with
Otherwise my daughter and I just might polish off the whole thing.
I have to say I never fell for the whole “fat free” craze. I like my hair shiny and my skin without flakes, thank you very much. My grandfather taught me from a very young age that all things are good – in moderation.
Do you think I could replace half of the oil with applesauce?
You could always try!
My grandma taught me that! Hehe but she didn’t exactly follow her own advice… she’d say, “Everything in moderation,” and then she’d take the BIGGEST slice of chocolate cake known to man
. Smart lady, she was!
Agreed! I MUCH prefer my chocolate melty delicious, not so much in cake form. BUT this looks delicious, so I will have to try it out!
And girl, that fat free biznass is redonk! Love me my healthy fats:) Slash Matilda is one of my favorite movies of all time!:)
That scene from Matilda gave me nightmares as a kid! I remember being terrified to eat chocolate cake for a while!! haha, but I am totally fine now =] Bring on the cake!
Hahahahaha the movie should’ve come with a warning label, huh?
your cake is gorgeous! you should do a post about decorating cakes soon, I would love to learn some pointers.
I used to fall for the fat free, or sugar free craze for a while, but now I can’t STAND the fake tasting products. I’m all about the natural fats lately, as they seem to fill me up and have made my skin and hair sooo much healthier. avocados, eggs, butter, all kinds of nuts and nut butters, coconut oil etc… all make an appearance daily in my diet.
Aw thank you so much, kay! I’m embarrassed to admit that this one was super-easy. I drew the characters on paper, cut them out, and stuck ‘em on the cake. My mom said that next time I should’ve put tape over them so they didn’t get dirty. But once people started cutting into the cake, no one cared what it looked like anymore lol.
Talk about “Holy Talent” girl! Your cakes are awesome
And yes, I’d rather have a ‘full’ than a ‘free’! I think. But then again I just posted sugar “free” milkshake *giggle*
Well, sugar is a different beast, huh? I love healthy fats, but I’m still not big on how too much sugar makes you feel all crazy, so I still like sugar-free stuff… as long as it’s naturally sugar-free (not including natural sugars, of course). Not an advocate for fake, chemical sugar subs either. I’m seriously going to give your shake a try!
Ah it’s been so long since I saw that movie!
.
I really want to see it again now, I love the character. So smart and witty
And ew no. Fat = good & delicious!
I used to definitely buy into the FF thing, but then realized that I was consuming so much sugar that it was ridiculous. FF is dangerous – fat is GOOOOD for us!!
Love Matilda, too!
It’s so mean of the companies; they hike up the sugar to make up for the lack of fat! So people think they’re doing a healthy thing, when really they’re being tricked
.
The cake sounds amazing, and the decorating/icing looks fantastic!
that cake looks so good! your decorating skills are amazing!!
i used to buy into the ‘fat is bad’ idea, then i learned that those products are usually just higher in sugar, and fat isn’t always bad for you! i love pb and coconut butter too much to have a low-fat diet anyway.
Haha I’d still probably eat Artisana coconut butter if it WAS bad for me. Thank goodness it’s healthy!
The cake sounds amazing!!!!!! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Awwww!!!! What a cute cake
I just love Charlie Brown!
I can’t exactly remember if I was ever into the low fat thing….hmmm…I don’t think so. I was always just looking for the sugar content, and figured I could eat as much fat as I wanted as long as there wasn’t any sugar
Lovely cake! (and the raw fudge one too…you can post that picture as many times as you like)
I definitely think there’s a positive gut reaction to fat-free for me. Social conditioning I guess?
Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve just thought about something about vegan and chocolate : vegans seem to have difficulty finding some vegan chocolate. (Am I wrong??) I can easily understand it for milk chocolate. But isn’t dark chocolate vegan in the USA? How do you deal with it? (In my country, the basic dark chocolate (72%) you can find in the basic supermarket contains sugar, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and unfortunately aroma. It’s the best one and one of the cheapest ones…)
(Beside the point : I also always eat with my chopsticks since I came back from Japan!
)
Have a nice day!
Karine (from the “land of chocolate”… Switzerland.
)
Gah, Switzerland??? You lucky! I hate snow and cold, but to be in Switzerland I would gladly take the cold! I’ve wanted to go there for-evah! The skiing, the friendly people, the chocolate, the chocolate, the chocolate…
I actually am always puzzled when people ask me how I still eat chocolate as a vegan. ‘Cause I’ve never had a problem finding vegan chocolate. Some of the cheap-o dark chocolates do have milk solids, but the higher-quality bars are usually vegan. If I’m at a natural store, like Whole Foods, I have NO problem finding all sorts of flavored chocolate bars, chips, and even ricemilk chocolate. But even at mainstream grocery stores, I can easily find vegan chocolate chips, as well as flavored chocolate bars from the likes of Green and Blacks or Ritter. My omnivorous friends go crazy for Ritter chocolate marzipan bars!
Haha, I don’t like cold and snow either… Don’t worry, as long as you don’t live in the mountains, there isn’t much snow here. (But… people aren’t friendly unfortunately!
)
And I’m glad to see that you can easily find vegan chocolate!
Yup. Vegan chocolate is easy!
I recently was reminded that chocolate is one of those things you HAVE to source carefully and now I’m soooo bummed ’cause my favorite cocoa powder, while not the worst, isn’t definitely slave free or fairly traded. Sigh.
It’s finding non-slave labor ones that are rough.
I’m using fair trade, slave free stuff now but it’s not as good as my beloved Droste. I’ve super bummed and wish Droste would just get ethical already! Equal Exchange is no where near as tasty! (yes, I’m semi-tantrumy about it. I found Droste to be the perfect cocoa… except ethically. Sigh.)
Yup, you’re right, to find a fairly traded chocolate (and vegan and organic of course) that tastes as good as other ones can be difficult… I haven’t found the perfect brand yet…
What about Dagoba? I recently found that one and am in love.
I got the Dagoba cocoa and am not impressed. It’s really bland and weak compared to Droste. I think I generally prefer dutched over natural and the Droste is super dutched, very dark and rich. Darn you Droste! *fist shake* It’s seriously so amazing. SOB. :/ Also I just found out that Dagoba was bought by Hershey so it’s not even truly ethical any more (grrr) PLUS those jerks added a tiny bit of dairy to all the Dagoba dark bars!!! Grrrrrrr.
Oh my gosh, I love Matilda. Actually the only part of that movie that I really remember is when the little girl gets thrown in to the flower patch. Great movie
AH! that movie made me dream of someday making a massive chocolate cake. although I agree – Bogtrotter grossed me out too!!
AH! Matilda made me dream of someday making a massive chocolate cake. although I agree – Bogtrotter grossed me out too!!
I did unfortunately buy into the fat free thing. I’m always amazed that some people still think fat free automatically equals healthy. Your cAke looks delicious and super cute too!
Bring on the healthy fats! I used to buy into the “fat free” food fad. After finding that it really wasn’t benefiting my body in any way, I started eating “real” whole food.
My diet is significantly higher in fat that it has ever been and I have never felt better. My weight is also easier to control that when I was limiting the types of foods I ate.
I am a huge fan of the healthy fats and embrace them wholeheartedly! I eat plenty of nut butters, avocado, coconut, and seeds in my diet, and my hair is so shiny and gorgeous to prove it! I am SO glad I’m not scared of fats anymore
I’m a little embarassed to admit that after reading Matilda when I was little I tried to stare at things until my eyes started to water (since she said she felt like hers were burning) to see if I could make them move too. Didn’t quite work out for me…
Considering the fact that one of my favorite snacks is a plain spoonful of peanut butter… nope, I don’t do the whole fat-free thing!
Wait, I wasn’t the only one??? LOL Cat, I am so thankful to know you did it too. I wanted to make things move with my eyes, too!
I think everyone is fat free crazed – I know I used to be!! It’s sad that people don’t focus on how good fats are for you!
I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched Matilda. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid. But the cake I baked for my father’s birthday reminds me much more of the poor Bruce than yours. Yours is so light and fluffy (and beautiful!). The recipe I used asked for 300 g of dark chocolate
.
As for fats in my diet, my behavior lacks any logic. I could cook my meals absolutely fat-free and then make some dessert with coconut oil or directly attack the jar of peanut butter. I’m just a weirdo…
“much too good for children”
I would rather have ALL ICING. Seriously. No judgement here, I will eat any frosting.
Me too! My roommate in college taught me how to eat icing straight from the container! She was an evil girl
.
Oh yum! I would have eaten like 10 slices of that cake. I do prefer cakey over creamy. As for fat-free, I’m not down with that. I do try to eat low-fat sometimes to balance things out though. For example, on Superbowl Sunday, I made low-fat edamole instead of avocado-based guac, but I served it will full-fat tortillas chips and a chili-cheeze dog.
I just wish people didn’t make the association that “fat” makes you “fat”. Perhaps if there was a different, widespread term for ‘overweight’, the misconception would be forever done with!
i totally agree with you, I’m not a ‘cake’ person– i like my chocolate rich, gooey and/or melty!
I so agree! They need to make a new word for the nutrient “fat.” It sounds so negative
.
You can call it “oil.”
Katie I LOVE Matilda! And I don’t mean I used to love it when I was little, I still love it haha. Thanks for the cake recipe!
Woah Katie, you seriously need to start a Vegan Treats shop!! This looks AMAZING!! And I am so making that raw cake too because….MY ARTISANA FINALLY ARRIVED!! There are coconut melties in my fridge right now, and I have been attacking your recipes page! Seriously, if your hits for that page have gone up by a million percent today, that’s probably me!
hahahahahaha you’re so silly
. Always making me laugh. Do make the fudge cake!! It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes… well, actually the raspberry version is my new favorite. I need to hurry up and write a post for that one, because I want to eat it 24/7!
Ohmygoodness, a chocolate fudge RASPBERRY one?! I’m in food heaven just IMAGINING what that tastes like!!
Just in case, here’s the recipe:
-4T coconut butter (60g)
-80g raspberries
-scant 1/16th tsp salt
-agave to taste (my testers liked 1 and 1/2 to 2 T… I liked 0 to 1/2T)
-8tsp cocoa powder (16g)
I like to use frozen, then melted, raspberries.
K, I officially love you.
I hate the “Fat Free” campaign. I think its despicable that marketers have tricked people into thinking that fat free foods are good, especially when most of the foods marketed that way have sooooo much refined sugar, chemicals, and mystery ingredients.
On a happier note — your cake looks delish, and the Charlie Brown decorations are suburb!
The cake looks perfect. I have to admit I used to fall prey to the “fat free” fad, but that is when they said it was healthy. Now I realize that is not always the case. There is a fine like. I think labeling something…like your icing…as fat free is a good thing. Yes it has sugar, but everything in moderation and the fact that there are no crazy chemical ingredients in it makes it a winner for me. I make my glazes with the same ingredients and am happy to label them as fat free. Seriously sweetie, that cake…I need some!
yes i loved Matilda..i had dreams growing up that i would meet a “Ms. Honey” (i think that was her name) to be my second mommy hehe
hmm i dont buy into the fat free but i generally eat a more low fat diet in general. I’m not a cake person and never a cupcake or cookie girl either..my mom never fed us many of those things and whenever she baked it was usually bran muffins or cinnamon buns..or lots of german desserts that werent all that unhealthy. mmm and her apple crumble, actually i need to make it soon lol.
growing up my mom NEVER used oil in cooking. we used butter ocassionally but it was never something i liked the taste of.. still hate the taste of butter and oil. anything oily tasted bad to me..fish, mayo, cheese…the only thing i ever liked was peanut butter..but even then i would only use a bit.
of course ive warmed up to nut butters and avocados but its still not as tasty to me as sweet potatoes, vegetables, and proteins. i always thought i was a weird kid for eating pasta with just plain tomato sauce..or dry toast..but i realize now that it just wasent a habit in our family and possibly explain why i dont eat a lot of fats today.
I’m a newish reader (and a newer blogger!) and thought I’d stop by to say…what a cute cake! I thought football was boring, but now I can just associate it with Peanuts! (Which is not boring.)
Hi Ellis!
So nice to “meet” you hehe
That cake looks adorable and delicious! It’s definitely on my list of things to bring to parties!
I also agree with the whole thing that fat-free is bad. People are just really anal about fat, which isn’t really bad for you! It’s silly how upset people are about their weights (I’ve been there too…) because when it comes down to it, health should be number one. Eating modified foods that are fat-free means they are generally more processed and, in the end, less healthy! 
Aly
I love your comment, Alyson! I had an overweight Italian grandma (from Italy) who ate ONLY good-for-you natural foods (well, and some icky meats lol). But she didn’t eat any of that fake fat or fake sugar stuff. And she lived to be almost 100, even being overweight! So obviously she was healthy
.
Agreed! People just don’t understand that artificial isn’t better, even if it’s fat and sugar free. I suppose our culture has just morphed minds into thinking it’s healthier…
Sad day!
And that’s quite the age to live to! Go Katie’s grandma!
I love Matilda!! This is great, Katie. I want to try this chocolate cake.
I totally know what you mean about buying into the fat-free fad. I’ve been guilty of that before, but it’s silly. Honestly, sugar does more damage than fat. It’s really interesting to me that people are more concerned over fat-free icing instead of worrying about the sugar content! Haha.
Haha that’s exactly what I was thinking when I looked back on the recipe: this thing’s pure sugar! (Of course, a little sugar is ok too; I’m just sayin, just because it’s fat free doesn’t mean it’s healthy!)
Loved Mathilda – up there in my girlhood litany of book heroines (though Pippi still reigns supreme!)
My relationship with fat-free ended before my eating disorder did, strangely. I was spooning some Walden Peanut “spread” (no calories! no fat! spun icky air!) and I realized how awful and chemically it tasted. After that, I started noticing how artificial most fat free foods were and decided to at least consume the real stuff.
I totally agree girl!!! Fat-free doesn’t instantly mean “healthy.” I would rather have the real thing than a processed, chemically drenched product that is fat-free.
Hehe, were you one of the girls with green tongues???
I LOVE MATILDA! That was my favorite movie as a child– I’ve probably only seen about a bazilion times
. What a cute cake (hehe, almost wrote cuke cate!).
And yes, I was convinced of fat-free for so long and am still worried about incorporating more fats into my diet. However, I have doctors orders and I’m have just begun working on moving through those food issues, and more. Not easy breaking habits that have been around for more than a year!
VEGirl
I certainly never bought into the fat-free craze, especially because most “fat-free” products are incredibly processed and full of sugar and white flour. Give me nuts, avocados, and coconut oil any day. But I do think it’s important to cut down on the unhealthy fats, and so I would be proud to create a fat-free icing and to refer to it as such, since the fat in icing usually comes from butter, trans fats, or other processed and unhealthy stuff. It’s definitely a shame, though, that most people don’t appreciate healthy fats.
I also think it’s hilarious that the girls came flocking over to the fat-free-icing-iced cake as if the lack of fat in its icing suddenly made it some magical weight loss food. People crack me up some times
“no way in heck am I wasting expensive coconut butter on a bunch of college guys without discerning taste buds!”–
AMEN!!!
I feel the same with any ingredients that are pricey…that if it’s not going to be appreciated, I will use/make the dish or recipe in a cheaper way, i.e. using cheap vanilla extract not the good stuff unless I know the recipient will appreciate it. B/c I am frugal that way
Fat free craze? I think the early to mid 90s…everyone jumped on that train! Til we realized fat free = more sugar = not really “ahead” of the game. I happily enjoy full fat products these days
Mmmmmmm That looks great. Can I ask a culinary question, Miss Katie?
I see a lot of recipes use cider vinegar in baked goods – what does it do exactly?
Stephanie
But of course, m’dear! Its bubbly-ness adds bubbles (oxygen) to the batter, and it reacts with baking soda (I’m not sure how; I’m definitely no scientist… I just know it does!). So your result is fluffier/airier/lighter. (In other words, not as dense.)
Whoaaa, you are so artistic!! How in the world did you get the characters too look like you just painted them on there!? did you have to dye your icings (like black, beige, yellow etc?!) I am so so so impressed… you should seriously start a business!
Also, I am sad that so many people *shy away* from fat. Fat is such an essential part of the diet and out bodies (esp the heart and brain!) need it! Too much refined sugar is what those girls should be afraid of, not fat. ha.
Chocolate Covered Katie wrote in a Comment above, ” I hand-drew them on paper… and told everyone NOT to eat them hehe.”
Ah, I see! Very clever!
I wanted to make them from fondant so they’d be edible, but I ran out of time!
I ALWAYS think of Matilda when eating chocolate cake, too! haha..gah, that cake looked good..but that’s soooo gross.
Glad you opted out of putting any of those “secret ingredients” in this one. Looks fantastic! and I love the Charlie Brown.
From my selfish point of view, the timing of this recipe couldn’t have been better – I was just looking for an amazing and preferably chocolate cake to take to work as a way of proving to the vegan doubters that my food has actually been delicious this week so thank you very much!
The Snoopy cartoon’s brilliant too
Haha the vegan doubters are ALWAYS quieted with chocolate! Not so much if you bring a yummy veggie dish, even though those can be just as delicious.
I LOVE this cake. Charlie brown is so cute- he reminds me of my adorable, bald fiance! hee hee
Awww lol you should put him on your wedding cake!
Hilarious! Think he’d go for it on the groom’s cake?
It’d be so much fun!
looks really moist and chocolaty katie! and so simple to boot. i’ll definitely give this a try soon, maybe even as cupcakes:D
Such a cute cake! I love Charlie Brown. Do you have one of those printable frosting things?
Sometimes fat-free can mean fewer calories, but overall, I’d prefer fat. Well if it’s animal-product free fat.
What’s a printable frosting thing? Sounds cool!
I was just thinking that’s how you got the charlie brown. did you draw it? even more wow if you did that! I’ve seen frosting that you can print pictures out of.
Yup, I did draw it.
I loved that part in Matilda! I remember seeing the movie and everyone getting grossed out in the part with Bruce. It always made me want cake, haha!
I LOVE the looks of that cake!!!!! If I have chocolate cake for my birthday, it will definitely be yours! Do you think melted coconut oil would work for the oil?
I think that sounds like an awesome variation!
I totally agree with the name thing. The more we label things as “fat free” or “cholesterol free” the more we are going to perpetuate fears of foods or macronutrients. So props you for acknowledging that, Katie!
That cake looks amazing – did you free-hand the picture of Charlie Brown? And I’ve already shown my mom the recipe…I now have one more reason to be excited for my birthday!
I did free-draw it, but I looked off of a “google image” image on the computer
.
If I don’t eat fats, I don’t get full! I could eat carbs forever and not notice. I lo-o-o-oove fat. Healthy plant-based fat. Nuts, nut butter, coconut, avocados, yes please.
I loved Matilda. Roald Dahl was such a creative mind…his books really captured me as a kid. Always tried to make things move. Ha. But yeah, the chocolate cake scene? In the movie, it’s just a little much.
That might’ve been my problem in middle school… I’d eat like 5 bowls of apple cinnamon cheerios and still not feel full. But maybe that was just a growth spurt thing lol.
That cake is cute!
You are constantly contradicting yourself. You’re always saying how “diet” foods, and “fat free” labels are not setting good examples, blah blah blah, yet all you do is post recipes that are “low calorie,” use applesauce instead of oil, and sautee in water. Consistency is not your strong suit, apparently…
>:(
Politeness isn’t yours, huh?
Since when are recipes that rely heavily on nut butters and coconut butters low calorie? I have to adapt a lot of Katie’s recipes to be low calorie enough that I’ll eat them! I think you need to read the blog a bit better – Katie does lower calorie stuff (with lots of veggies) but she also eats lots of grains (which are very caloric, trust me!) and lots of nut butters/seeds/healthy fat.
This is NOT a fat free/low calorie blog, IMO. It’s just a healthy whole food one.
Why be such a judgmental naysayer? If you don’t like it, stop visiting. Easy enough.
I have to agree with Jen.
Ah Matilda–such a good flick. Whenever I think of that movie, I think of the newt in Ms. Trunchbull’s drinking water!
Looks absolutely delicious!
xoxo
Your cake is too cute Katie! When I first saw the pic with the green icing I thought you went wild and made an avocado buttercream icing!
I made this cake from Joy the Baker for a Halloween party I went to and it was a HUGE hit…although on the opposite spectrum of your cake with the “fat free” icing!
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/07/vegan-chocolate-avocado-cake/
I totally used to buy all the hype about fat free foods…until I woke up one day and realized that I was clueless as to what fats were actually for in a diet and how they could benefit my body. Now, I’m all about the healthy fats! Bring on the nut butters and avocado!
That chocolate cake looks great. Charlie Brown was an awesome idea
Hey, college girls NEED their chocolate cake. I come running even if its not fat free
I try to look for things that are not overly high in fat. In my family we do not belive in fat free products because usually a whole bunch of other crap is put into it.
Matilda is seriously the BEST movie ever… I love it! And you cake looks so delicious – YUM!
http://oatsandspice.wordpress.com
chocolate cake! I love it and can’t wait to try it out! I try to make my fam a little something sweet on the weekend and we freeze indiviudal pieces to last all week! I am going ot have to try this one next!
We freeze it sometimes too
. And I was so excited about your single lady comment!!! Yay!!! hehe 
Hehe, I think of the SAME scene when I think of that movie. In fact, that’s an inside joke with others when I see chocolate cake. I can’t help but chanting, “Bruce, Bruce, Bruce…”
I hate anything “fat- free”. It usually is more processed, sugar- loaded and has more additives and preservatives.
I don’t like processed fats like oils. I don’t bake with them much (and I chose coconut oil or organic, expeller pressed canola when I do), preferring to use pumpkin puree or banana instead.
I’m all for fat in whole food form, though! Coconut butter, avocado, nuts and seeds, nut butters, coconut – all good things!
Oil is pretty much nutritionally void. It’s like how drinking a cup of apple or orange juice isn’t as good as eating an apple or an orange – yanno? Olives have all sorts of extra goodies in the skin/pulp and the oil leaves that behind. Olives provide more nutrients than just the pressed oil. Ditto nuts and nut oils, etc.
Plus, a tbs of olive oil a) tastes gross eaten on it’s own, b) doesn’t have any fiber or bulk to fill me up and c) PALES In comparison to some black olives on my pizza! I’d rather eat coconut butter than use coconut oil, eat chia seeds for my omegas than down some flax oil, eat avocado on my salad than use an oily dressing and eat nuts sprinkled over my no-oil added brownies than eat a traditional, oil laden recipe. I’m picky about my fats and I want full bang for my caloric buck!
UGH. I did an it’s its error. I *hate* that. I’m so ashamed…
hahahahaha at least it wasn’t you’re your! Cringe
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I used to love that movie when I was little! (Probably because I could sort of relate to Matilda wanting to read every single book she could get her hands on… <3 books.)
That cake.
It looks. DEEE-licious. I'm sure it's especially wonderful with that little bit of oil, too! Just to add a bit of richness and to carry the flavour a bit more, I imagine. Yes, it's so sad that our society has mostly been conditioned to be afraid of "fat", even though we've lately been seeing more articles touting the benefits of healthy fats… Makes me wish I could eat coconut! Not that I think fat-free foods are bad though… After all, most veggies and types of fruit are almost fat free, and they're awesome. Again, as I've seen you mention before (and several other commenters!), what really matters is that we eat real, natural food.
Great job Katie!!! Wowww that doesn’t look easy at all. And I LOOOVE Matilda! When I came to the U.S., it was also one of the first BOOKS that I actually read and liked.
Hi Katie! I just wanted to say a little something after reading the comments. I think that eating fat- free isn’t exactly bad. Its more about eating less things that are processed and stuffed with many chemicals or other science-lab produced ingredients. For example, if I were to substitute applesauce for the oil in this recipe, the fat- free cake wouldn’t be a bad thing. Applesauce is natural too and not processed. If eating something sweet and delicious without having to worry about gaining more weight and adding to the obesity statistics is possible, than why not?
sorry if I sound angry or something. I’m not and I LOVE YOUR SITE!!!!!!
Oh no, don’t be sorry at all! I am always grateful when people are brave enough to express a different view! I definitely agree with you that sometimes fat free is good; my problem is with the media tricking people into believing that it’s ALWAYS better. For example, if you look at low-fat peanut butter, it’s loaded with extra sugar to make up for the fat. I get angry with the media that they’re confusing consumers who *think* they’re making a healthy choice, but really they would’ve been better off with the real pb.
But I have no problems if people want to cook without oil or replace it with applesauce in a recipe. In fact, that’s why I always offer that option for my recipes in the first place!
I actually avoid fat-free foods like the plague. My body NEEDS fat to make my skin glow and keep things firing properly in my brain. Also, good fat doesn’t make you fat. A diet filled with empty calories and chemicals will make you fat. Not eating enough will also make you fat, as I found out the hard way. If your body isn’t getting enough fat in your diet, it will hang on to every pound on your body, making it extremely difficult to lose weight.
Mmmmm. Cake! I am so craving cake now.
That cake looks sooooo good! I have a thing about chocolate cake (usually chocolate layer cake). And I make myself one each year for my birthday. I’ll have to make this one next year…..but I want it now!
UNbirthday cake time! hehe like Alice in Wonderland?
Looks delicious! Could I use this batter for cupcakes successfully?
I bet you could! I haven’t tried it, so if you do, let me know how it goes! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
(I do have a chocolate cupcake recipe: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/16/blue-velvet-cupcakes/ )
Have you ever done a white chocolate version of this?
I am making a white chocolate cake with raspberry icing/filling for my MIL for her birthday. I think I’m going to try subbing the cocoa with baker’s white chocolate…. I’ll let ya know how it goes.
I’ve not done a white chocolate version. (Confession: I don’t really like white chocolate! Sad, I know!) But I’d love to know how it turns out for you!
It worked out well! I doubled the recipe, cut out about 1/3 of the sugar and the cocoa, and used white chocolate instead. Then I mixed fresh raspberries into some icing and used a raspberry preserves as a filling between the layers. It went over very well! My brother in law ate some and said, “Wow! This is good!” and then I told him it was Vegan and he cringed! hahahaha! *Tricked ya!*
Hi Katie!
I have been reading your blog for several months now, and all of your recipes look so yummy!
This chocolate cake is the only one I have gotten to make so far, but it is delicious!
My friend and I made it for my birthday, and another time since then. I could eat the whole thing myself…
I just wanted to say thank you for the awesome recipes, I enjoy reading your blog!
I am so so excited you made it! And so grateful for your sweet comments
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Wow I just made this for a kids party, I did it in little cupcakes and iced them in you Peanut Butter Frosting, then decorated them like Spring Chickens inspired by Angela from Oh She Glows, and they were SO delish and super cute!
No one even guessed they were vegan!
Aww this makes me SO happy!! So so happy!
Well that’s only fair considering how happy eating it made me!
I have made this cake twice, and it always turns out “cookie-like” for me… It’s never moist. :-/ I followed step-by-step… So what type of oil did you use? I used whole wheat, but what specific type did you use? I can’t figure out where I’m going wrong. Also, did you use regular sugar or stevia?
I used Canola oil… maybe it’s an oven temperature thing?
I don’t know what to tell you… it isn’t a misprint in the recipe, since a lot of other commenters have said it worked for them. I’m sorry!
I blog at “Misadventures of Fat free Baking” but that actually just means I avoid butter, oil, shortening margarine, etc. because its much easier to clean up. Nut butters, avocados (not a fan though), nuts, chocolates… Are highly welcomed into my friendly kitchen and hungry belly!
made this tonight but I added chocolate chips, used 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 soy yogurt instead of oil, and did 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour and 1/2 cup oat flour, it came out somewhere between cake and a brownie. yumm. Plus i changed your icing recipe a little and did the sugar, part vanilla part coconut extract, a little coconut butter and the soymilk, and then when it was smooth I added shredded coconut, and sprinkled some more coconut on top of the cake. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!
That DOES sound amazing! I think you had me at “somewhere between cake and a brownie.”
hey katie! so tonight i did a test-run of this cake because i wanted to bring a healthy dessert to a family dinner party later in the week- although when i made the cake, it was pretty dry. do u have any suggestions on how i could alter the recipe to yield a more moist cake? i was thinking of using more white flour instead of wheat and adding more oil, but i’d really value your opinion
Hi Grace,
I’m really bad about knowing how something will turn out without trying… so I really can’t give you any advice
. I just do a lot of experimenting! Definitely, more oil will make it less dry. Or applesauce. But really, you never know until you experiment! Let me know how it goes!
Okay, so I did some experimenting!
I made a different variation that contained a bit less fat and calories and I used:
1/3 c sugar and 1/2 cup splenda (i know, im the devil for using splenda) instead of 2/3 c sugar
1 T oil and 1/3 c blueberry puree
1 c water instead of only 3/4
and I added 1 T of almond milk
also, i reduced the cooking time to about 17 minutes and baked it at 325 degrees in one rectangular cake pan. The ending result was much more moist and i really enjoyed it, only my harshest critic – my twin brother – complained that he didn’t like the taste of the wheat flour. (whatever – more for ME!)
I also tried a “naughty” version, using:
all white flour
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 c almond milk instead of the 3/4 c water
1/4 c more oil
This time i baked it in one rectangular cake pan at 325 for 30 minutes. The result was moist and super chocolatey. I cut them into brownies (which better suits how they turned out) and when I let my brother try one he LOVED it! I now have a delicious dessert to bring to my family dinner party
By the way, i totally don’t mean to criticize your recipe, i feel like i’m coming off as being rather critical. We all do what works for us, and I bet your chocolate cake turned out divine. Thanks for this recipe, I’m glad I can eat chocolate cake without feeling guilty 
LOL I love experiments where no one else but me likes them, so I am FORCED to eat it all myself
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The cake looks awesome! I was looking for a healthy choc cake recipe for my daughters birthday this weekend. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks!
Sacha
So, maybe this is a silly question, but from looking at the recipe I can’t figure out what size pans you used. I can’t imagine that this recipe makes enough for TWO pans and still have it come out as awesomely thick as your pictures look. I hope that is the case but what size pans do you use, just so I know. Thanks. I can’t wait to make this.
Hey! I made this for fathers day with Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting!!
Amazing!
Oh wow, that sounds good… but then again, I bet ANYthing would be good topped with chocolate peanut butter fudge frosting!!!
Soo true!
I tried this yesterday, making 1/4 of the recipe, and because I was too full, I only ate half of it (or 1/8 of the recipe). So I put it in the freezer, the next day I microwaved it for about 40 seconds, and what I got was a super moist cake!
Ooh now I am imagining chocolate cake. Moist chocolate cake sounds perfect! (Dry, flour-y chocolate cake, not so much.)
Hi, Katie!
Im going to try another one of your delicious recipes – i tried many of your recipes and they were all so good!- tomorrow and its going to be this delicious looking cake! Today is my brothers birthday and we are going to have a dinner for him tomorrow and he is coming over with his wife and kids. My mother will be making a traditional Spanish dish for him as we are Hispanic, and I know my brother likes desserts, especially since his wife bakes them a lot and I want to show him that he can still enjoy yummy delicious desserts without all the bad stuff they usually put in it. -I always try and encourage healthy eating, even with sweet baked goods
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Anyway, I was wondering if it will still work with unsweetened cocoa powder -I have hersheys- or does it have to be regular cocoa powder?
Hi Janice!
Ooh I hope he LOVES it!! And good news: regular cocoa powder IS unsweetened hersheys
. That’s what I use.
If I don’t have any whole wheat flour, can I replace it with gluten free??
I’ve never tried it, so I really can’t tell you… but if you do experiment, please let me know how it goes! I *think* a gluten-free mix like Bob’s would probably be ok.
This looks great! I don’t have much experience with cooking vegan recipes (soy/almond milk is kind of hard to get my hands on at college), but today is my vegan friend’s birthday so we’re going to surprise him with a cake. This sounds perfect for it! I know he misses chocolate rather a lot.
Oooh I hope he likes it! But he shouldn’t miss chocolate… there are SO many vegan chocolate options out there!! I used to think that chocolate wasn’t vegan, but it’s far from the truth. They make vegan chocolate chips, chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge… sometimes I eat chocolate 5 times a day!
Okay this looks delicious and I really want to make it but where I live Cider Vinegar is not exactly popular so it’s hard to come by so my question would be could I substitute it with something else and still have the recipe come out exactly like it’s supposed to be?
You can use white vinegar. (If you must, lemon juice can also be used, but I’d try to find vinegar first.)
Yay, thanks for the speedy response you’re a doll! White vinegar I can most definitely find. Also need to add that I love most you dessert recipes even a few non-vegan (I’m also not fully vegan due to health issues but I got a nice balance going. hehe) friends of mine have become very fond of them! Chocolatey yummy-ness that’s also healthy, now how could you go wrong there!
x
Could I use stevia instead of the sugar?
So, I was at work, working very hard and looking though your recipes and I came across this one! Let me first say that cake is may favorite food ( I’m not ashamed at all!
) and I also want to suggest that you get your I.Q. checked if you haven’t yet…because I think you might be a genius!! Seriously, it was so yummy! Not to mention I didn’t feel guilty about eating it! Thank you Thank you THANK YOU!
LOL oh thank you so much… I wish I were a genius. It would’ve made AP Chem class so much easier back in high school
.
What you do is actually sort of considered a form of chemistry! I would know, I’m a chemist!
I am thinking of making this cake for thanksgiving (every year I like to make dessert in hopes of finding a “signature” dish. Hopefully this one will be it). I have fallen in love with your peanut butter frosting recipe (who knew that peanut butter and tofu could taste so good together? So I’m thinking of making this cake with the tofu peanut butter frosting and adding mini chocolate chips on top so it’s more like a reese’s peanut butter cup cake. I can’t wait to try it!
Oh wow, that sounds SO good! I hope it turns out well!
Hey Katie, I don’t know if this is the idea venue for me to ask this question as it’s an older post, but here goes.
I tried making this recipe (added a bit of baking powder to it and some of Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer.) It was so thick and pasty that I added probably about 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra water. When I baked it, it a.) collapsed and b.) was uncooked or really super soft/mushy for the most part. I take it it’s not supposed to turn out that way =/
Any idea what caused that? I was thinking the egg replacer and baking powder would ensure rising/stability, but apparently not. Could it have been the extra liquid? Should I try baking it longer or at a higher temperature? I wanna make this for my folks so badly while I’m visiting home and have an oven available to me; I already made the deep-dish cookie pie (Christmas dessert!) and it was a hit!
When I get back to Japan I’m seriously going to invest in a better mini oven so I can more precisely try your recipes! Thanks always for the great ideas!
Hmmm… I am so sorry! I don’t know what could’ve happened. What flour did you use?
I used carbalose flour. Just to let you know, I tried again using garbanzo/fava flour, and they turned out great! No collapsing to be had. It may have helped that I made it into cupcakes instead of layers, but I think it’s mainly using the bean flours that helped. Have you noticed that at any point?
I’ve only tried it with the flour I listed… lol I don’t know what carbalose flour is. Time to google!
It’s actually best to eat fats in their whole food form, like avocado, nuts, etc. not as extracted oils. So, I replaced the oil with apple sauce and the cake turned out great!
I LOVE that movie!!! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!
I bet his stomach would’ve been so much happier with your cake instead of that monstrousity!
What is the calorie content?
You topped cake with pie? Is that legal??
Who cares? I want to try it now!
I just realized that the ‘Recipe of the Year’ link for this cake was where I originally found your blog.
I guess I’m required to try it now!
LOL!
so. maybe you’ve already mentioned this elsewhere… but I was wondering how to make the glaze (or is it frosting?) that lies on top of the chocolate pie…
Here’s the entire thing
http://vegan.com/recipes/vegan-recipe-of-the-year/best-of-2011/triple-layer-chocolate-mousse-fudge-cake/
can you give me the nutrition facts?
Looks delicious, I want to serve it for guests. How big are the cake pans and how many servings are there in this recipe?
Katie,
I want to halve the recipe and use just one cake pan. Do you know if this would change the cooking time and/or temperature? Also, I’m assuming the cake pan is a 9″ one? Thanks!
Yes, a 9-in one! You can definitely halve it (same temp), and I don’t know about time. Just keep an eye on it!
Hi! Which pan size would I use to bake this cake? Thanks for sharing!
I used an 8-in, I think.
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