The 6 Minute Cake
one-bowl, pareve, vegan, easy as pie & oh, did I mention
it's chocolate ?

I came upon the "6 Minute Cake" while looking for a pareve chocolate cupcake recipe with a nice dome shape. A 6 minute cake? Well, that sounds good to me.

Reading through this recipe I first noticed it's eggless and then saw an unlikely ingredient: vinegar. Really.

Well, I had to try that. So, I embarked on this kitchen science experiment, mixing the batter and then stirring in the vinegar. Gleeful as a kid, I watched the chemical reaction, white swirls appearing against the cocoa colored batter. The cupcakes baked up perfectly!

Here's how it works: The vinegar interacts with the baking soda to produce carbon dioxide and give the batter a lift as it bakes. It's actually a very old baking method, the vinegar taste is not at all noticeable in the finished chocolate cake.

The 6 Minute Cake from Moosewood Cooks at Home

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water or brewed coffee

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

8 ounces chocolate chips

1/3 cup coconut liquid (soy, almond or rice milk also work)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9" cake pan (coat with margarine or baking spray, I like to line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal) or fill muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add oil, water or coffee and vanilla and mix with a fork until smooth.

3. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir in gently. Pale swirls will occur where the vinegar and baking soda react. Stir just until the vinegar is even distributed throughout the batter. Pour immediately into prepared pan.

4. Bake cake for 25-30 minutes, cupcakes 12-15 minutes until top bounces back when gently pressed with your finger. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to a cake rack.

5. For the glaze, heat coconut liquid until hot and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Continue stiring over low heat about 3-5 minutes until smooth. Spoon over cooled cake allowing glaze to drip down the side.

The 6 Minute Cake from Moosewood Cooks at Home is now my favorite go-to recipe for an easy, pareve and eggless chocolate cake that looks elegant as pictured and makes the best chocolate cupcakes, too.