Last week was my brother Adnan and sister-in-law Vannary’s 9th wedding anniversary! Pretty big deal – almost a decade!

Initially Irfan and I were going to buy a happygut (i.e. gluten & vegan) cake but I cringed when I found out it cost $20. I decided to make one myself instead 🙂

Feel free to use the recipe as a base and tweak it as you see fit. I’ve made a few gluten vegan chocolate cakes and although this may not be number one for taste, it is definitely the best for consistency and texture.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake #1

2 cups brown rice flour or sorghum flour
½ cup tapioca flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup ground chia seeds
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 cup prunes
½ cup safflower oil or virgin coconut oil
1 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions for Chocolate Cake #1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.

In a medium sized bowl place the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt; mix together well with a fork or wire whisk.

Place the prunes in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Place the prunes and water into a blender or Vita-Mix and add the oil, maple syrup, chia seeds, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Blend until very smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well, though be careful not to over mix.

Immediately pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes in the pan and then gently invert onto a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before frosting.

Adapted from: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/02/gluten-free-vegan-sugar-free-chocolate.html

Ingredients for chocolate frosting

1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup earth balance softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions for chocolate frosting