Yes, You Can: Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

Here is a Chocolate Layer Cake that is simple to make, tastes great and just happens to be dairy-free. When everyone has had their fill of pumpkin pie and overly rich holiday desserts, this basic cake can be easily adapted for a family gathering, a ladies' tea or a child's birthday party. 

Mark Bittman posted the original butter-based recipe on his blog, "Bitten."  To create a dairy-free version, I experimented with both canola oil and home-rendered lard. To my surprise, the results were remarkably similar.

Fearing the lard would taste or smell a bit "meaty," I slightly increased the amount of chocolate, but I need not have bothered. The lard cake was every bit as light, mild and tender as the oil cake, and without the slightly darker chocolate of the lard cake, my husband and I would not have been able to tell the difference. On the other hand, a friend who grew up eating lard pastries insisted that he found the lard cake much tastier.

Since natural, non-hydrogenated lard can be difficult to find, I offer the canola oil version here, along with several options for toppings and garnishes. Mark Bitten covered his cake with whipped cream, which obviously doesn't translate to the dairy-free version. Instead, I've suggested a fruity filling that can also top the cake. You could double the fruity filling and make a 4-layer torte, or drizzle the top with a rich glaze. Kids in particular might enjoy the toasted marshmallow topping, especially if they can be in the kitchen (with supervision) watching the marshmallows turn brown beneath the broiler or torch.

In short, this is a basic chocolate cake recipe with endless possibilities. Have fun.


Recipe: Simple Chocolate Layer Cake, Dairy-Free

The recipe makes 2 eight or nine inch layers. Because I was testing several different versions to make this dairy-free recipe, I ended up with the 3-layer cake you see in the photos.

• 1/2 c.canola oil
  
• 2 cups (9 ounces) cake flour or all-purpose flour; more for dusting pans
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
  
• "Baker's" unsweetened chocolate is dairy-free. Carefully check other brands
• 1 cup fine raw sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups soy or almond milk, unsweetened
• 10 oz. jar no-sugar-added fruit preserves (raspberry, cherry or apricot recommended)
• 2 to 4 Tbs. powdered sugar
  
• Garnishes and toppings, see below
  

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch layer-cake pans with non-stick spray. Cut rounds of parchment or waxed paper to fit bottom of pans. Spray the paper, and dust pans with flour; tap out excess.

 2. Melt chocolate in heavy glass measuring cup in the microwave: about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring three times.

When just about melted, remove from microwave and stir until smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

3. In mixer, combine oil and sugar and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, then vanilla and chocolate.

4. In a bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to chocolate mixture a little at a time, alternating with soy/almond milk. Stir until smooth.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. With rubber spatula, fold them gently into batter. Turn batter into cake pans, and tap pans gently on the counter to break up large air pockets. 

6. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack 5 minutes, invert and complete cooling.

7. With long serrated knife, slice rounded top from each layer. DON'T eat those trimmings! You'll make the filling with them in the next step.

8. Heat fruit preserves in microwave until just melted. Combine with crumbled cake trimmings and about 2 Tbs. powdered sugar to make a thick filling. Chill before adding more sugar, as the filling will thicken as it cools. A splash or two of raspberry or apricot liqueur would not be out of place here.

9. Put one cake layer on a platter, cut side up. Spread with half of the filling. Top with second layer, cut side down. Spread remaining filling over top. Garnish if desired. 

:

Toasted Marshmallows, fun for kids: cut large marshmallows in half. (All brands I've found are dairy-free.) Wet scissors work are best for this job. Arrange on top of the cake, cut sides down. Use a kitchen torch or place briefly beneath the broiler to partially melt and toast the tops of the marshmallows. (Terrible confession: lacking a kitchen torch, I used the heat gun from my craft tool kit. It worked rather well.)
Chocolate curls. Use a vegetable peeler to shave curls from room-temperature chocolate. (check chocolate to be sure it is dairy-free.)
Mint leaves or perfect rose petals, pinched fresh from the garden and scattered over the cake top.
4-Layer Torte: Make two different fillings with two types of fruit preserves. Split layers horizontally and alternate fruit fillings for a dairy-free 4-layer torte. 
Adults Only: After removing the layers from baking pans, pierce tops with a fork and drizzle about 2 Tbs. liqueur or rum over each layer. Let sit until completely cool then proceed, using the same liqueur or rum in the fruit filling/topping.
Drippy Glaze: Forgo the fruit filling/topping on the top of the cake and instead cover it with a rich dairy-free chocolate glaze, letting it drip luxuriously over the sides:

Bring 2 Tbs. water with 2 Tbs. raw sugar to a boil. Stir in 2 ounces chopped chocolate (1/2 cup chocolate chips) until melted, then cut up a large marshmallow and throw it in. You can nuke the mess for about 20 seconds, then stir again until the marshmallow is melted, then drizzle it all over the top of the cake. If you remember to set the cake on a rack over a sheet of waxed paper, you can catch the drips and recycle them to the top of the cake until everything sets up in about an hour.

Now when your Dairy-Free friend wonders whether she can eat your tempting chocolate cake, you can happily say, "Yes, you can!"