RAS Recipe of the Week

I made this cake this week and should have photo'd it for you, but didn't. This just means you need to make one, doesn't it? This week's cake is dedicated to the people who have the sad situation of being allergic to either eggs or dairy (or both) or who are misguided enough to be vegan. Nothing against vegans, but come on people! What is pastry without some decent animal products? Well, this week, it's a damn fine cake (which tastes like it's hiding animal bits in it, but it's not!)

Wacky Chocolate Cake
(great cake, stupid name)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 T unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 T cider vinegar
6 T vegetable oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 170C (350F). Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa into a bowl. Make three depressions into the dry ingredients. Pour oil into one well, vinegar in another, and vanilla into a third one. Pour the water on top, stir well with a fork. Shove into a greased tin (8 inch round) and bake for about 55 minutes (check at the 45 minute mark just in case...) When cool, frost if desired (with vegan frosting, which I also have a recipe for) but I just throw some powdered sugar on top and call it a damn fine cake with a stupid name.

NB: Yes, I know the method is insane. The recipe would probably taste the same if you just bunged the lot in a bowl and mixed for the Queen. Just humour me and follow it, would ya?