Chef's Notes
For delicious chocolate cake with no spicy heat, omit the cayenne.
Microwave: If you are using a smaller (600 watt) microwave, increase your cooking time to about 2 minutes, 30 seconds for each cake.
White Whole Wheat Flour: White whole-wheat flour is a type of flour made from winter wheat or hard white spring wheat. It has a milder taste and a paler color than regular whole-wheat flour. You can easily swap in regular whole-wheat flour if you’d like.
Cane Sugar: Cane sugar is an example of a dry sweetener, a general term for non-liquid sweeteners. If you don’t have cane sugar, you can use sucanat, date sugar, or maple sugar.
Cayenne Pepper: Warning: Spicy! Consider omitting the cayenne pepper if you are serving to children.
Unflavored Plant Milk: Plant milk is the term we use to describe the plant-based milk of your choice. Rice, oat, hemp, almond, and soy milk are all varieties of plant milk. Look for unsweetened, unflavored plant milks.
Step 1: Prepare Cakes
- 1⁄3 cup cocoa powder
- 1⁄3 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 dashes sea salt
- 1⁄3 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1⁄2 cup unflavored plant milk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1⁄4 cups fresh strawberries sliced
If you are using the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, combine cocoa powder, white whole-wheat flour, cane sugar, baking powder, salt, and cayenne (if using). Add plant milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
If you are using the oven:
Transfer mixture to ramekins, then bake until a toothpick inserted near the cake’s center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 15 minutes.
If you are using the microwave:
Transfer mixture to heat proof mugs. Cook each mug in the microwave on high (100% power) until a toothpick inserted near the cake’s center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 90 seconds (see tip).
Serve warm with strawberries.
Cover and store any leftover cake at room temperature for up to 1 day.