Chocolate Fudge Snack Cake

A slice of this cake makes the perfect snack with a cup of tea or coffee!

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour; set aside.

Lightly spoon 1 cup all-purpose flour into a measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine the flour in a bowl with 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt; set aside.

Place 5 tablespoons vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth (note: I used my stand mixer, which made this cake even easier!) Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat well. Add 1 and 1/4 cups raw sugar, a quarter-cup at a time, beating between each addition. Continue to beat at medium-high speed for 3 minutes, then add the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G), one at a time, beating after each addition.

Make 2/3 cup vegan 'buttermilk' by pouring 2 teaspoons lemon juice into a measuring cup, then filling with plain soy milk (such as Silk) to equal 2/3 cup. Let stand 5 minutes to clabber (sour) the mixture.

With the mixer (or beater) on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the 'buttermilk', starting and ending with the flour mixture; beat just until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - the original recipe said 32 minutes, but I gave mine 35.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After this, the original recipe said to remove the cake from the pan, and cool completely on the wire rack. I was afraid removal would make the cake fall apart, however, so I let it cool entirely in the pan.

Divide into 9 squares. Each serving is 260 calories. You could also dust the top with 1/2 tsp. powdered sugar, if you like, as a pretty garnish.

Cost:
vegan butter $3.29