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Healthy Cake that’s so easy to make

When do you take down your holiday decorations?

We usually start on New Year’s Day. Heck, there’s nothing else to do on that day—no need to buy presents, no Christmas cookies to bake, and (unless you live in Hawaii), no one wants to venture out of the house! So it’s the perfect time to clean. Unfortunately for my family, I wasn’t the biggest help this year, because I was preoccupied… with cake!

vegan healthy vanilla cake

A friend, who saw my Spooky Vegan Carrot Cake, hired me to make her a New-Year-themed cake. Cake-decorating beats cleaning any day. 🙂

vegan vanilla cake

As always, it’s 100% edible (aside from the crown).

For the actual cake, I veganized a recipe from one of my mom’s cookbooks. (And then I subbed applesauce for some of the oil to make it even healthier.) The results looked gorgeous—perfectly shaped and soft. And my friend raved about the taste, saying none of her guests could tell it was healthy.

.

Healthier Vegan Vanilla Cake
(makes two 9” cakes)

  • 3 ¾ cups flour (I used whole-wheat pastry)
  • 2 t baking soda and 2 t baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 to 2 cups dry sweetener
  • ½ cup oil
  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • ½ cup tofu
  • ½ t salt
  • Optional: 1 t coconut or almond extract

Preheat the oven to 355. Mix together all of the wet ingredients.
Blend the tofu with 1 ½ cups water, then add that to the wet.
Combine all of the dry ingredients, then add that to the wet.
Pour into two cake pans and bake for 40ish minutes.

It’s so amazingly simple!

vegan frosting

I frosted with my go-to Healthy “Cream Cheese” Icing.
(The cake was much prettier in real life than in my photos, thanks to an absence of natural light at the time I took them. Oh well; what’s most important is the taste!)

amy's sonoma burgers

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Question of the Day:
Do you have a favorite veggie burger?

I’d love to know your favorites, as there are so many brands out there now. I like Amy’s Bistro Burgers, but I’m working on creating a homemade veggie burger, as the bistros are expensive (and lacking in the protein dept, which I know is important to a lot of you). So far, all of the recipes I’ve been looking at are just way too involved/time-consuming. Also, am I the only one in the world who doesn’t like Sunshine Burgers?!

Published on January 4, 2011

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC's 5 O'clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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102 Comments

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    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Um lol where is my head?! Girl, thank you so much for catching my mistake!!! I’m glad you let me know so I had a change to fix it before anyone made it and lambasted me for posting a cake recipe that tasted like a wet sponge! 😕

    • Melissa says

      +1
      These are my absolute favorites.
      The reduced sodium are what I buy, they still taste lovely and don’t need the extra salt. Plus, I’m a ketchup and pickles on burgers gal and I add enough extra salt that way. LOL.

  1. Miss Rachel says

    I took one bite of a Sunshine Burger a number of years ago – and yuck!!! – I had to throw them out. They were so gross! I don’t know if they’ve changed their recipe since then, but I’ve been afraid to try them again. My hubby buys the Sunshine *Breakfast* Burgers and those look a little more like (yummy) vegan sausage, but I still haven’t tried them. I used to like Morningstar Farms vegan burgers, but I haven’t been able to find them in years. Bocas are OK, but I’m a big fan of Moophrey burgers these days. Moophreys are my favorites, but when I want to be soy-free I like Amy’s Bistro burgers too.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Oh I love the Moophreys! I just wish they didn’t get all hard on the outsides. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand the appeal of the Sunshine burgers. I *wanted* to like them, but they tasted like grass!

  2. Liz says

    The cake looks so cute! My favorite veggie burgers would have to be the original vegan bocca burgers. I buy them in big packs at sam’s club and it saves me loads of money.

  3. Disturbed says

    I have actually never had a vegan burger. When I was vegetarian I had one made with milk in it-and I loved it, so I do want to eventually try one-but there is literally nothing at the Wal-Mart my school takes us to every week to buy groceries. That is the one things I hate about being a high school student with no car and at a boarding school. O well, when we go to Kroger I load up on Amy’s stuff. I love Amy everything. I also have a thing for those Kashi meals-the black bean mango one is vegan and taste amazing. I bet y could easily make a home version.

  4. Jennifer JCD says

    Wow, beautiful cake! I hope you had a wonderful New Year too.

    We celebrate Christmas season until the Epiphany on 06 January (12 days of Christmas), so our decorations stay up until then too. We’ll start taking things down this weekend. The outdoor lights will stay up until our long weekend in February (just after Valentine’s Day), or the soonest warm day after that.

    As for veggie burgers, I’ve never heard of most of the ones people are listing, but here in Canada, M&M Meats (yes, a meat shop) makes our favouite veggie burger. Most of our non-veg relatives and friends will eat them too because they are so yummy and fairly healthy too. We also love homemade black bean burgers because we can customise the seasonings to whatever our tastebuds are craving that day. We don’t have an outdoor barbeque though, so all our burgers are cooked on an indoor grill or the top ‘veggie’ rack on my dad’s barbeque at the cabin.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Haha your favorite veggie burger is from a meat shop?!
      When I lived in China, I was once super-surprised to find Amy’s Cali burgers (a vegan burger) in my omni friend’s kitchen. When I asked her why she had veggie burgers in her freezer, she replied, “We don’t.” She didn’t even realize her favorite burgers were vegetarian! I had to show her the ingredient list before she believed me!

  5. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says

    I think you ARE the only girl in the world who doesn’t like Sunshine burgers! Those are my fave! But Amy’s are a close second. Haven’t seen the Sonoma ones yet….how are they different from the California ones? Isn’t Sonoma County in California? I love homemade patties too, but storebought are my fave …. unless you’re talkin’ the homemade patty at Memphis’ Fuel Cafe. That’s the best veggie burger in the world…ever.

  6. Jenn says

    Hi Katie! Just a thought for the New Year – I was wondering if you would ever consider starting a Youtube channel as an extension of the blog where you video-taped yourself making the food or talking about your lifestyle? I’m just thinking that since your blog is SO easy to read and so positive that I bet a channel would be a huge hit. I could see it reaching people of all eating backgrounds and lifestyles and introducing a new perspective into their days! And then people who were more inclined to watch videos than search for blogs would find you that way. Just a thought!!! No pressure whatsoever of course. 🙂 Take care!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Oh gosh, Jenn, I have been meaning to do a video post for SOOOO long! But I just keep putting it off. One of the main reasons? I don’t know how, and I’m good at procrastinating when it comes to learning a new skill. I don’t have a digital video camera either, although I think my regular camera might have video capabilities. I really should get my butt in gear and do it!

  7. Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says

    OH WOW that cake looks AWESOME! And such a simple and healthy ingredients list! I am SO bookmarking this! Your friend is a very lucky girl! 😀

  8. melissa @ the delicate place says

    it’s been difficult for me to find a veggie burger i like. however, i usually like ones made out of mushrooms instead of beans/soy 🙂 i totally take down decorations by jan 1! i’m like parties over back to reality haha.

  9. Cat ~ The Verdant Life says

    Katie, that cake recipe looks awesome! I’d love to try it out, since my New Year’s resolution is to eat MORE sweets. Hahaha! What kind of tofu do you use? Silken vs regular, soft vs firm?

  10. Allison @ Happy Tales says

    Hey Katie!! I just found out today that I have access to blogs at work and this makes me SO happy because now I can comment on all of the blogs I read (but don’t worry, I do get work done too, ha!) I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been following your blog for some time, and LOVE all of your creative recipes! In fact, your blog has inspired me to create one of my own (happytalesblog.com)! I myself don’t really do new years resolutions, but I made a post about some for this year ( I call them goals, rather). Thanks for all that you do!

  11. Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says

    That cake looks gorgeous!! Any suggestions on how to make it chocolate? I don’t know why, but chocolate cake is really the only kind of cake I like (well, I guess the fact that chocolate is involved explains that 😉 ).

    Favorite veggie burger? The mango chutney tofu burgers from one of my mom’s Hawaii cookbooks (seriously, they are to die for!).

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I’m sure you could add cocoa powder… but unfortunately I’ve never done so, which means I can’t tell you how much. But you can always experiment… (and eat any less-than-perfect results hehe). Foodie experiments are the best kinds! Let me know if you do succeed in making it chocolate; I’ll want to know about that ;).

  12. Devan says

    oh my gosh. such a cute cake!!!

    I have such a hard time finding a good veggie burger..
    same with salad dressings.. 🙁

  13. Namaste Gurl says

    Wowza, that cake is amazing, girl! I wouldn’t be surprised if you opened your own famous vegan bakery and kitchen some day 🙂
    Favorite packaged veggie burger would have to be sunshine or bistro burgers… You’re right though, they’re indeed expensive so I can’t indulge all the time.

  14. thefruitpursuit (Sabine) says

    We took it down this weekend, my boyfriend doesnt like staring at it for too long hahaha! I’d rather keep it alllll year long, sortof ;).

    That cake sounds so yummy! too bad you didnt make more pictures? I will try it anyway, dont worry 😉

    x sabine

  15. bitt says

    Cute cake, Katie! I wish my friends had enough $ to hire me for stuff like that. 🙂 They just want freebies.

    My fave burgers are the ones I make myself. Some day I will post the recipe on my blog I just keep reinventing it and forgetting to write it down. Homemade bean burgers are the best.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Ugh, I have that problem too… not liking to measure everything. But then I go to post a recipe and I can’t because I don’t know how much of something I’ve used. It happens so much! Ah, your burgers sound tres delicious!

  16. Ash says

    Hey Katie!

    I was wondering, what exactly are the purpose of extracts? For example, the almond and coconut extracts…do they lend coconut and almond flavors or only a scent of them?

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hmmm… they definitely add to the flavor of the cake. But in such a small amount, it doesn’t really make the cake taste like coconut or almond. I used almond extract. All it does is impart a stronger flavor.

  17. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    Katie…thanks for the burger talk. I used to love morningstar burgers, like 10 yrs ago. They taste nothing like burgers. Which is good. I am a vegan, I dont want things to taste like burgers, or I wouldnt be vegan or would just eat a burger 🙂

    But honestly, all veggie burgers are pricey! And many are (processed) soy-based. Not that that’s awful, but if you ate lots, I dunno, probably not the best. So many ppl make their own.

    I dont like burgers enough to do that. I’d rather make homemade desserts than burgers 🙂

    Btw thank you for the card. Beyond cute!!!!!! xoxoxo

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      So true. It’s hard to find high-protein burgers without the processed soy. I really wanted to like the Sunshine burgers, but they just taste so strange to me. And lol about: “I’d rather make homemade desserts than burgers.” You are too funny!
      P.S. As I said, your card was way cuter. We just can’t compete with little Skylar!

    • Melissa says

      “I am a vegan, I dont want things to taste like burgers, or I wouldnt be vegan or would just eat a burger.”

      That seems weird? A lot of vegans aren’t vegan due to not liking how meat tastes but rather solely for animal rights or even health reasons. I like Gardein, even though it’s sort of creepily meaty, and I don’t mind things like the Morningstar riblets that are super beefy textured.

      I didn’t stop eating animals ’cause I hated meat, I stopped due to caring about animals. One of my (OMNI) coworkers has this really negative attitude about vegans/veggies eating meat replacers and uses the same (IMO, illogical) argument in a very annoying, in your face way. Telling us to “just eat meat” and ignoring that it’s not about TASTE but ethics. If I can make something that tastes like my mum’s pot roast but no animals are harmed doing so? I’m going to eat the heck out of it and enjoy every bite!

      Apologies if I sound like a witch, I might be more knee jerky about the subject due to him being such an @ss! It’s just… ugh. So aggravating(!) to deal with him! 😉

  18. Ash says

    Oh…also, I know this is not used in this recipe, but does coconut flour give a coconutty taste to baked goods? Or is it very subtle?

  19. L. says

    Hey Katie,

    I had my first veggie burger (black bean) in college before any serious change in dietary preferences (flexitarian with a focus on veggies), and since then I’ve loved them even more than regular burgers.

    When I started my job, one of the women made black-bean burgers for lunch, but I was sick that day. She gave out handouts of the recipe, and I used it to come up with my own. I’ve never had the veggie burgers that you buy at the store, so I don’t know how they compare

    They turned out pretty good (to me at least), and were simple (which is necessary since I have literally NO counter space in my kitchen, don’t know how to use the extremely vintage oven, and have only 2 working burners on my stove… *sigh*). One caveat, I used an egg to bind the ingredients (I tried going without, but they wouldn’t stay together), but probably using flax eggs or some other vegan binder would work pretty great. Other than that, feel free to glean some ideas.
    Ingredients:
    1 can black beans (I forgot how many ounces were in the can I used, but it was just a regular-sized can of beans)
    brown rice (I used 1/2 cup dry rice, so however much that is cooked; could probably just use bread crumbs, or maybe quinoa for more protein)
    1 large egg (again, use some other vegan binder)
    1 small jalapeno, diced
    about 1/2 t minced garlic
    about 1 T favorite salsa (I couldn’t taste it, so probably use more)
    seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, etc…)

    Drain and rinse the can of beans, and mush them into a puree with chunks of beans (could put in a bag and mash, or use a food processor; I pulsed in a blender). Put in bowl and with other ingredients, adding the egg (binder) last. Mix thoroughly, and form into patties. If frying in a skillet, make patties the size of breakfast sausages (this is what I did). You could also try baking them, and may be able to make larger burgers this way.

    P.s.- On my way to work this morning, I was thinking of making black bean and pumpkin burgers (caned black beans and canned pumpkin) with chipotle sweet potato fries. Mmmmm!

  20. Claire says

    I really like these veggie burgers (or they do them in finger slices if you just want a snack) that I buy from a farmers market. My family doesn’t eat any sort of burger very often as we can find them too bready so lentil, chickpea, or veggie burgers are a welcome change every now and again. I just discovered cauliflower fritters. They were so incredibly good!

  21. Teresa says

    For reasons I don’t need to go into, I refuse to eat a boxed veggie burger (just trust me on this and don’t think I’m snobby- it’s personal). For the same reason I don’t really even care to make any sort of burger, BUT I absolutely LOVE Ani Phyo’s Sun Burger, which of course I call a patty, since I don’t do burgers. Anyways, although I do eat it raw, it can very, very easily be eaten cooked too.

    The recipe:
    1 cup celery, chopped
    1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
    1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    2 teaspoons oregano, fresh or dried
    1 cup sunflower seeds, ground
    1/2 cup flax seeds, ground
    1/4 cup hemp seeds
    1/2 cup filtered water

    I’ve changed and subbed the veggies or seasoning (fennel works awesome for onion or celery haters) based on what I had on hand, and I also almost always add a bit of nooch too! They are incredibly versatile and super yummy!

  22. Maryann says

    My favorite are Dr Praegers that I buy from Trader Joes…but then again I havent tried many brands so there may be some out there that I would like more!

  23. BroccoliHut says

    We take ours down on New Years Day too. It was tough, but I took down my Christmas tree on Saturday. It felt like a little part of my soul died that day…

  24. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    Awesome cake, Katie!! Very lovely. 🙂

    My favorite veggie burger is Boca Burger’s Original Vegan. It’s nothing special..but it has some pretty outstanding nutritionals. 😛 I also love Morningstar’s mushroom burger but that brand’s usually gairly greasy.

  25. Emily K. says

    I just took this out of the oven, Katie! It looks incredible. I’ve had so much trouble with whole wheat cakes before, but this one looks lightyears better than any other I’ve made in the past. I’ll update you later after I try it :).

    • Emily K. says

      Ahh! It was even BETTER than I thought it’d be from the looks of it. Thank you so much for this recipe, Katie :).

  26. Gaby says

    That’s adorable Katie! I need to go visit soon because we have a lot in common. I’m always asked to be the cake maker for parties and events like that! (and I always relish in the idea that I’m sneaking something healthy into their diets :X)
    I’m not big on the fake meats either since I was never a fan, though once in a while I’ll get a craving. But ironically enough I LOVE good veggie burgers and am always on the lookout for restaurants that have them. So if I see one on a menu I absolutely have to get it. If you come to Houston there’s some really good ones I could take you to. We have one place called the Hobbit Cafe that does an amazing burger the size of your head with black beans and rice and a hint of curry flavor. there’s another place here that does a chickpea and pecan version too. I’m much more into the beans than the soy protein. I’ve been intrigued by the Sunshine burgers but am always turned off by the price for just 3 patties :\.

  27. Baking 'n' Books says

    I really like the “Le Sol” brand of veggie burgers. And Garden Patch also make Portobella Veggie burgers. But I can never find them now…:(. And I’m a meat eater – so if they satisfy my buds…;)

    I agree – they are TOO expensive!

  28. Anita says

    Quorn makes decent meat free products, meatballs, They just came out with a hamburger like product and one with cheese. I already bot them, haven’t made them as yet. I think Quorn is made with a mushroom, fungus like product. You have to read up on it. I love their un chicken patties, meatless meat balls. All good. Love that funetti cake. A childhood favorite.

  29. Elise says

    Nom nom. I was feeling depressed today, and when I’m depressed I like to bake, so I decided to try this recipe out! I’ve been wanting to for a long time. It’s the first time I’ve made/eaten a vanilla/white cake I think. I quartered the recipe and made 6 cupcakes. I used white whole wheat flour, the lower amount of sweetener, and the optional almond extract (I only have imitation almond extract; it’s kinda weird but in a pleasant way; I’ve never had pure almond extract so I can’t compare). I had to add quite a bit of extra water because the batter was sooo dry. But in the end the cupcakes rose really nicely and they were SO spongey. Yum! 😛 I’m thinking of making this cake for my birthday in a week, actually. Do you have any suggestions for what kind of filling and frosting would go well with this, Katie? 😀

  30. Marika says

    Katie – I just found your blog and can’t wait to try all these delicious sounding recipes. This may be a dumb questions but what kind of dry sweetener did you use in this cake?

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