This version of the Depression (Wacky) cake is truly scrumptious – still an EGG-FREE and DAIRY-FREE cake batter but with triple the chocolate goodness! A very well-loved recipe, indeed!
1cupcold water plus 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules,mix coffee to dilute
½cupChocolate Chips
For the Chocolate Ganache
4ozDark or Milk eating Chocolate,broken into pieces
4ozHeavy Cream
1tbspHoney Corn, Agave or Maple syrup (or a combo)adjust sweetness to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the baking pan (or use a small bundt pan like I did) with butter and sprinkle with a little flour. Shake off the excess flour. Set aside. You can replace the butter with non-stick spray if that is preferred.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add in the chocolate chips and stir it in. Using a spoon, make three (3) wells in the flour mixture. In one pour in the vanilla extract; in another the vinegar, and in the third well the oil.
Pour the cold water with coffee over the mixture and stir until moistened. Pour into 8 x 8-inch pan/baking dish or in a small Bundt pan (I used the latter). Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes for the 8x8 cake pan or 35-40 minutes in a bundt pan or until a cake tester inserted in the middle turns out clean.
If using a bundt pan, let it cool in a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes and then invert and cool completely. Make sure that the cake is fully cooled before you drizzle/pour the ganache on top. If not using a Bundt pan, you can let the cake cool completely in the baking dish.
For the Chocolate Ganache
Place the heavy cream, chocolate pieces and the liquid sweetened of your choice. Melt the chocolate using low heat and by stirring until it becomes very smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and immediately drizzle/pour it on the cake. Use the entire content of the saucepan if you wish or if there is some left-over you can use it as a chocolate sauce for your ice cream or pancakes.
Notes
TIPS & TRICKSThe Dark Chocolate Ganache here is not dairy-free though the cake is – so if you wish for a dairy-free version, I do have a Chocolate Sauce that can work with this recipe. You can drizzle it on top of the cake as usual. Please click here for the recipe.