Manuel's Super Vegan Cake

 I can't take credit for this recipe. I really wish I could because it's absolutely brilliant, but all thanks here goes to my great friend Manuel Molina whom I've been sharing a kitchen with (both at work and home) for the past three months. Manuel is a talented vegan chef in his own right and also teaches Ashtanga yoga here at Villa Azul. His classes are donation based and all proceeds go to White Ocean Project, an effort to raise money for underprivileged people in India suffering from skin problems such as high degree burns and leprosy. It's a great friend of his, Justi, who spends her time in India working directly with people, and Manuel runs a blog that keeps up on their efforts. Their work is truly amazing, read more about how they're changing lives on his blog, The Ocean of White.

We have celebrated a few birthdays at the Villa since I've been around, for one of the first ones, Manuel told me he had this really nice cake that he could make. He called it Super Vegan Cake, so I knew it had to be good. The ingredients alone tell you that it's going to be loaded with goodness; shredded carrot, coconut, raw sugar, and my favorite, turmeric, for it's beautiful yellow hue.

Since that first birthday, I've been topping this cake with a vegan chocolate ganache made simply from coconut milk and dark chocolate. There's something about moist yellow cake and chocolate frosting that just screams 'Happy Birthday!!' at me. Here we've subbed full fat coconut milk in for heavy cream for a rich dairy-free alternative to traditional ganache. This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal if you share your life with chocolate lovers. Not a single birthday has gone by where guests at the retreat aren't in awe of this Super Vegan Cake.

The many faces this cake has taken on in the past few months.

The original recipe used a whole meal flour. Something mild like whole wheat pastry flour would be fantastic if you're not gluten intolerant. For a while we made the cake with straight rice flour to cater to our gluten-free guests, but after a little trial and error, we've found that a combination of rice flour and oat flour (certified gluten-free oats optional) is the way to go. It results in a lighter version, yet still holds enough moisture. Shredded carrots and desiccated coconut create a truly pleasing texture. The cake itself is not overly sweet, so the chocolate ganache is especially lovely to create contrast both tastewise and visually. There really aren't enough wonderful words to describe this cake.

Alright to recap the benefits of this cake, in case my rambling confused you. Dark chocolate and cake will do that to a girl.

• Chock full of shredded carrot and coconut
• Gluten-free
• It's the color of sunshine (thank you turmeric)
• Coconut dark chocolate ganache? Sold.
• Moist, filling, but it wont weigh you down

There's no denying it, this cake kills it as far as cake goes. And if you're eating cake, it may as well be a delicious, nutrient dense cake made with love and intention. It's great for a special occasion, celebration of any kind, and the perfect way to bring a little sunshine into your life.

Happy Easter and Spring my friends!

Super Vegan Cake with Coconut Milk Dark Chocolate Ganache  makes one 8" cake

Cake ingredients

• 100 g rice flour
• 100 g rolled oats ground to flour (certified gluten-free oats such as Bob's Red Mill optional)
• 150 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 130 g raw cane sugar or coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 package/7.5 g dry yeast 
• 1.5 tsp turmeric
  
• 150 g shredded carrot
• 110 g sunflower or coconut oil
• 150 g unsweetened soy milk
• 3 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in 6 Tbsp filtered water

Ganache Ingredients

• 6 oz dark chocolate from your favorite bar
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk  

Method

Preheat the oven to 340 F/170 C, lightly grease an 8" cake pnn.  

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry cake ingredients, rice flour, oat flour, coconut, sugar, and yeast, mix well. In a separate mixing bowl, dissolve corn starch in water, add shredded carrot, oil, and soy milk to create a homogenous mixture. Add wet to dry and mix until no white streaks of flour remain.

The batter will be thick, pour it into your greased cake pan and smooth out the surface so that it's evenly distributed. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Meanwhile, start your ganache by finely chopping your dark chocolate, transfer to a medium bowl. Shake up your can of coconut milk to combine the thick cream that rests on top and the liquid. Heat 1/2 cup to a slow boil over medium-high heat. 

Pour hot coconut milk over chocolate, whisk until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated. Keep at room temperature.

When your cake is done, allow it to cool and set for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to another plate and pour ganache into the middle of your cake. Spread out the the edges in a circular motion. You may have a little ganache leftover but who's complained about that ever? Keep in mind that as it cools, the ganache will thicken and harden slightly.

"Life is uncertain, eat dessert first"

-Ernestine Ulmer