Alex is in the kitchen this month:
Some of my best recipe developments are fueled by spite. Or more likely by someone accidentally throwing down a gauntlet, which I must pick up and throw back. I’ve been bingeing the new season of the “Great British Bake Off” (or “Great British Baking Show,” since Pillsbury’s copyright of the word “bake-off” meant an American rebrand for the show), and great Nigella Lawson herself laid this challenge before me, however unwittingly.
The contestants were – as one would expect on a baking show – baking cakes. One plucky contestant had resolved to make a vegan cake, which automatically has more to prove with the judges, who revere eggs and butter. Nigella, admittedly a goddess of cooking, commented that the vegan cake hadn’t risen enough, calling it “the problem” with vegan baking. Beg to differ, Nigella, beg to differ. Using Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer has always given me an exquisitely risen cake. Or even a mixture of vinegar and baking soda and powder. Since adopting plant-based alternatives, I’ve never feared a collapsing chocolate cake.
In fact, my brother and my sister-in-law, avid carnivores as they are, have demanded a vegan chocolate cake from me for special occasions. Imagine my shock and surprise. I made one such cake for my sister-in-law as a “push present” when she gave birth to my nephew. I like to think it’s what got her through labor, the promise of chocolate cake!
Somehow, this month’s column is solely focused on Nigella Lawson (no less than she deserves). But despite her hesitance to try vegan cakes, in another episode this season she preached the good word about healthy eating. She chastised the other judge, Paul Hollywood, for calling a cake “naughty.” Nigella said that she doesn’t agree with labeling food as “good” or “bad,” because “we need to take our pleasures in life where we can.” Amen, sister friend.
Sometimes, we conflate the word “healthy” with “good.” This can trick us into punishing ourselves for enjoying something with high calories, or something that tastes overly indulgent. In this, I am Team Nigella all the way. There’s a reason we bake cakes for celebrations; we must find ways to share with one another, as a sign of respect and love. And what better way to show respect and love for our planet than to use plant-based alternatives when and where we can? This way, every plant-based cake is a celebration of a healthy planet!
So, since vegan cakes can rise with the right leavening agents, I think it’s important to prove it. This cake is a veganized version of Nigella Lawson’s Guinness Cake. It’s richly decadent, well-risen, and will convert any eater to the vegan chocolate cake cause. As we enter daylight saving time, gather with friends in the dark and dive in.
Chocolate Stout Cake
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup Guinness
- 10 tablespoons plant-based butter
- ¾ cup of unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup plant-based sour cream
- 2 replacement eggs (2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer plus 2 tablespoons water, mixed and let sit for 2 minutes)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
Icing Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 8 ounces plant-based cream cheese or sour cream, at room temperature
- Plant-based milk, as needed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8- or 9-inch cake tin. Line with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and plant-based butter over medium heat and let the butter melt. Remove from heat and add the cocoa and sugar, whisking them into the mixture.
- In a bowl, combine the plant-based sour cream, egg replacement, and vanilla. Add the Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, whisking until smooth. Pour into the cake tin and bake until risen and a knife comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cake.
- Icing: Blend confectioners’ sugar and vegan cream cheese or sour cream until it is smooth. Add plant-based milk of choice until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Once the cake is cool, ice it, and eat it!
For more information on how your food choices affect the planet and your health, go to: harriscenter.org/rhp