Image by JCarrot

I had my sweet “eureka!” moment in the health food store yesterday, more specifically in the canned goods aisle. With a glance at a can of coconut milk, all my non-dairy dessert dissatisfaction just fell away.

My devotion to dessert is almost religious. I believe that no good meal is complete without a sweet ending, and that chocolate sometimes does the job better than sex, drugs, or rock ‘n roll. However, I often fall short in the dessert department when preparing a meat meal, meaning: my parve desserts aren’t spectacular. I have been tinkering with non-dairy chocolate cake recipes for a while, but until now always felt somewhat disappointed with the results. One version wasn’t nearly chocolatey enough, another was throat-sticking dry, and how about the one with the weird sawdust aftertaste?…. And then, alas, there was this chocolate number. Rich, endlessly chocolate, dense, and moist, this cake makes me retract my earlier declarations that baking without butter is just a waste of time. The coconut milk gives this cake creaminess and heft without being coconutty in flavor, and the Trader Joe’s parve chocolate chips lends it a deep dark chocolate-ness. The chocolate glaze is optional, but my theory is if you’re having dessert- have dessert.

Dairy-free CocoChoco Cake

2 3/4 c. all purpose flour

1 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. smart balance type spread

2 c. packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2/3 c. coconut milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 semi-sweet choc chips

Grease bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda- set aside. In a large bowl beat together smart balance spread and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well combined. Add in chocolate chips. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake in oven for 55-60 minutes. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 c. coconut milk

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Heat coconut milk in pan over med.-high heat, add chocolate chips and stir until melted in. Pour over cooled cake.

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