Ann Swissdorf's Cocoa Cake (and a generally good vegan cake base recipe)

  • 1 cup white flour
  • ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add the remaining and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 8 or 9-inch pan and bake at 350 °F for 30 to 40 minutes.

You can make a white cake by omitting the cocoa and using double the vanilla.

Makes an excellent base to make gingerbread cake, banana cake, marble cake (mix half cocoa and white cake batter in the pan, leaving a swirl), and it’s the base for my Crustimony Proseed Cake.