I was recently asked to try a coconut balsamic vinegar and give my opinion. I used it in recipes you’d expect: Apple Sorghum Salad, Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant, and Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts. But, I also wanted to do a think-outside-the-box dish. A dessert perhaps? WHAT????

Then I recalled a chocolate cake recipe, called Wacky Cake, I found years ago in a lady’s club cookbook. At the time, I thought it was so named because all of the ingredients were put in a bowl and mixed at once. Now that I have made MANY cakes from scratch, I realize it’s because there are NO eggs, butter, or milk. Crazy, right?!

Wacky Cake came into frugal existence during the days of rationing, when these ingredients were hard to come by. The recipe called for cocoa, oil, baking soda, sugar…and white vinegar. At first glance, vinegar sounds like a horrible ingredient for a chocolate cake. But then I remembered, you can make buttermilk by combining milk with vinegar. So suddenly the vinegar didn’t seem so odd….until I realized there was no milk in this recipe. Hmmmm.

Since I’d made the cake before and knew it tasted good, I decided to take a chance and use the coconut balsamic vinegar. (I like to live on the edge….or, at least, nearby.)

Believe it or not, the Chocolate Wacky Cake came out utterly delicious! It was moist, firm, rose beautifully, and chocolaty. Day 3 tasted just as good as Day 1. There was no Day 4.

I topped it with a  Brown Sugar Frosting (Betty Crocker’s recipe), which was the perfect complement to the rich chocolate. I’ve included the recipe below.

Note:  You can make 29 cupcakes from this recipe.  Bake them at 350º F for about 17 minutes.

CHOCOLATE WACKY CAKE

• 1 T instant coffee granules (you can probably use 1 cup of coffee & dilute it with 1 cup water if you don’t have the granules – but I’ve never done this myself)
• 2 cups (473g) water
• 2 cups (387g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup (165ml / 141 grams by weight) vegetable oil
• 3 cups (364g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 T vinegar (I’ve used both white and balsamic)

Preheat oven to 350º F (177°C) and grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ (23cm x 33cm) pan.

Into a large mixing bowl, add the coffee granules. Bring the water to a boil and stir into the coffee granules.

 

Add in the sugar, salt, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oil, stirring to blend by hand.

Add in the flour, baking soda, and vinegar. If using an electric mixer, use low speed and blend just until flour is incorporated – don’t over mix.

Pour into a greased and floured 13″x 9″ (23cm x 33cm) baking pan, tapping the filled pan 2 or 3 times on the counter to remove any air pockets.

Place in preheated 350°F (177°C) oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until top springs back when lightly pressed. Also, if you put the pan close to (BUT NOT TOUCHING!) your ear, you can hear a faint crackling sound if it’s not done. If you hear the crackling, return pan to the oven for another minute and check again until the sound disappears – mine baked for 34 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

BROWN SUGAR FROSTING – covers a 13″x 9″ cake

• 1/2 cup (112g) (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup (148g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 (49g) cup milk
• 2 cups (217g) powdered sugar, measure before sifting

In a saucepan melt butter. Over medium heat, stir in brown sugar and bring to boiling. Lower flame to low and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add milk, increase heat, and bring to boil. Then, remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar to prevent lumps. Gradually stir into butter/sugar. If you let the butter/sugar cool too long and it’s not mixing well into the powdered sugar, just put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and try blending again. You may need to zap it another 15 seconds or so.

Place saucepan into a bowl of ice water, and stir continuously until spreadable, but not too thick.

Frost cake. Let set at least 20 minutes before slicing.