Loading ...
I Can’t Believe It’s Eggless Chocolate Cake!
| Tweet |  |
My son turned 3 yesterday. For his birthday I wanted to bake an eggless layered cake with frosting and all. Earlier I have baked an eggless carrot cake and also a chocolate cake using soy milk. This eggless chocolate cake recipe was way before I started the blog and for some reason I did not save the recipe. It had a soy milk ganache for the frosting and it also came out very well. I wish I had saved the recipe.
I wanted to bake a chocolate layered cake, because he loves it and was going through various resources to find a good eggless recipe. Earlier this month I had bought the EnerG, egg replacer from the grocery store. I thought that I would buy a ready made cake mix from the store and use the egg replacer instead of the eggs and bake the cake. Then only I found that EnerG does not give desired results with store bought mixes. So I dropped that idea. I have read in so many books/sites that tofu is a very good egg substitute in baked goods. I also had silken tofu sitting in the refrigerator and decided to use it for baking the cake.
Some of the chocolate cake recipes I was looking for had a minimum of 3 eggs. Then I found a chocolate cake recipe which required only 2 eggs, in my “Baking for Dummies” book. So I decided to proceed with that recipe and use pureed tofu instead of eggs. The rule is adding 1/4 cup of tofu per egg to be replaced.
Even though I proceeded with the recipe, I was skeptical about the taste and texture until I cut the cake on Sunday and tasted it. I baked the cake on Saturday and let it cool off until Sunday afternoon and then frosted it. I was anxious than my son to taste the cake. We were also talking about running to the grocery store on Sunday evening to buy a ready-made cake, if this one flops.
But I need not have worried so much after all! The cake turned out so moist and together with the icing it was no different than the usual cakes. We did not taste/smell the tofu at all. More than anything I was so happy that my son liked the cake very much.
| Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe |
|
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Cups Granulated Sugar (See My Notes)
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil (I Used Canola Oil)
- 1 Cup Hot Coffee (I Mixed 1.25 Teaspoons Of Instant Coffee Powder With 1 Cup Of Hot Water)
- 1 Cup Milk (I Used 2% Milk)
- 1/2 Cup Silken Tofu Pureed (I Used Nasoya Brand Silken Tofu)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Packet Dr Oetker’s Organic Chocolate Icing Mix
- 1/4 Cup Hot Milk/Hot Water (Heat It In The Microwave Oven For 15 Seconds)
- 1/3 Cup Butter At Room Temperature (Which Is 5 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoon)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- A Pinch Baking Soda
- Preheat the oven to 325F (160C) for 15 minutes.
- Grease and flour (I used cocoa powder to flour the base of the pan because it’s a chocolate cake) two 9-inch cake pans.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well. Add the canola oil. Then the hot coffee decoction.
- Add milk.
- Add the pureed tofu. (Remove the silken tofu from the packet using a spoon add it to the blender and puree it to a creamy mixture)
- And a couple of drops of vanilla essence.
- With an electric mixer, beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes. (At first I did not use the hand mixer to combine the batter, because I remembered reading somewhere that while using egg substitutes, in this case tofu, beating the batter is not recommended and was so worried to see such a diluted batter and it was also having a lot of small lumps. So anyhow I decided to use my hand mixer to get rid of the lumps, but still the batter was considerably thin).
- Pour the batter evenly into both 9-inch cake pans. (or fill the 6 muffin cups halfway with batter and divide the remaining batter between both 8-inch pans).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Check the cupcakes after 15 minutes). I placed 1 pan in the middle shelf and the another in the bottom shelf and set the timer for 25 minutes and switched the pans around 12 minutes. Switching the pan means moving the pan from the middle shelf to the bottom and the bottom shelf pan to the top. This is done to ensure even baking of both the cakes. One of my make was done exactly at 25 minutes and the other one took 30 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool completely before removing them from the pans. The time mentioned in the original recipe was 15 minutes and so I tried to transfer the cake to a wire rack after 20 minutes and it was little messy. So I left the other cake in the pan itself for quite some time. Maybe after an hour I touched the bottom of that pan and found that it had cooled completely and so transferred it to the wire rack.
- The cake should cool completely on the wire rack before frosting. I baked the cakes on Saturday and frosted them on Sunday. I left it out on the kitchen counter and covered it with a bamboo basket. You could also refrigerate the cake to cool it off.
- Sift the mix.
- Add the butter, hot milk, vanilla and baking soda. (I read in the same book that adding a pinch of baking soda to icings prevents hardening and cracking so icing stays moist)
- Beat the mix using a hand mixer at medium-high speed. Add few drops of water/milk if required.
- This was my first experience with frosting a cake, so I simply followed the steps listed in the book.
- First I placed the bottom layer upside down, so the rounded side (top of the cake will be on the serving plate). If you have dome top on the cake, even it out by slicing it with a serrated knife and then place it upside-down.
- Spread about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Don’t use hard strokes, but spread it gently using an offset metal spatula or plastic spatula.
- Now place the second layer on the first, cut or domed side up.
- Frost the sides of the cake first with another 1/2 cup of frosting.
- Finally frost the top of the second layer.
It was slightly difficult for me, but somehow I managed to frost the entire cake. Before and while frosting the cake I was not sure about the consistency of the frosting. Later after seeing quite a few cake pictures I realized that my frosting was definitely thick and that’s why was I having hard time spreading it. I should have added a few more drops of water to thin it and frosting would have been a breeze.
- As you all know the options are endless. Being a rookie that I am, and because my son loves M&M’s I used them to line the cake. I also used the ready made Cake Mate decorating pens which are available in the grocery store in the baking aisle to write the birthday message and draw some flowers.
- As a whole the cake was excellent. But considering healthy eating I would modify the recipe a little bit the next time. Like reducing the quantity of sugar in the cake recipe from 2 cups to 1.5 cups. Since the frosting is also sweet enough, we don’t need that much sugar in the cake too. Next reducing the quantity of oil too. Instead of 1 cup of oil, 1/2 cup can be replaced with unsweetened applesauce.
I would like to send this cake to the following events:
1. Sia is hosting this month’s JFI – Soya. JFI originally started by Indira.
2. Hima’s Sunday Snacks – Bake It
Share & Enjoy:
| Tweet | Share | Save on Delicious |
Never Miss A Recipe!
Subscribe to Eggless Cooking FREE via email to get recipe updates in your inbox:
Hi I’m just about to bake this cake for my kid’s birthday. Just wanted to check with you before I do that about two things:
1) How long do I need to mix the cake batter if I’m using a wooden spoon and will the result be the same as using the mixer and blender.
2) Do I have to reduce any liquids like the coffee water/milk if I want to add the aerated cola drink before baking.
I would be glad if you could help me asap with the above mentioned. I will post after the party about how the cake turned out.
Thanks.
You have to mix the wet and dry ingredients together as long as it takes to make a smooth batter. I have not tried using cola in this recipe (or any recipe) so I’m guessing that you can use 1/2 cup each of the hot coffee and milk instead of 1 cup; mix all the ingredients as usual and once the batter is ready add the cola and give it a light stir; pour into the pans and bake as usual.
Cool recipe….
Hello,
I tried this cake recipe, the batter was nice and smooth, I lightly greased the cake tin with vegetable oil & coco powder. When I took the cake out it looked great, however when it came to taking the cake out of the tin, half of it was stuck at the bottom, not burnt or anything! Should I have put a baking sheet at the bottom to prevent it splitting in half like that?
I served the other half to my dad and he loved it.
Thank you.
Thanks for trying the recipe Kaur. You have to cool the cake for quite sometime before removing it from the oven. But the best way to do is to line the pan with parchment paper, which I learned very late. How To Line A Pan With Parchment Paper?
Hi Madhu, can you please suggest me a good vanilla cake using tofu. I will be waiting for your reply. As I wnat to make it for my daughter’s birthday as she loves vanilla cake.
I haven’t tried a vanilla cake with tofu, Vani. Instead why don’t you try theChocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cupcakes. This recipe uses tofu, you could use melted butter instead of peanut butter if you don’t like the flavor of peanut butter. The given measurement will fit one 8 inch or 9 inch pan I guess. Have you tried the Eggless Vanilla Cake?
I tried this cake, it had a fudge-cake-like consistency, it was delicious, chocolatey and very moist. I carried it as a snack and all my friends loved it. I had to carry slices of the cake for them the next day too. I used 1/2 cup plain yogurt instead of the tofu because it is difficult to find silken yogurt where I am. I think the next time I try this cake I will not use the electric mixer, I think I probably over-mixed the batter.
Thanks for trying the recipe Nastassia.
Hi Madhuram,
A few quick questions, I am baking this cake for valentine’s day. A surprise for HB. I want to know whether I can use whipped cream to frost these cakes, if so how much cream should be whipped. Next question, How much of silken tofu is required to make 1/2 cup of pureed tofu? Last question, I have a spring form 9″ pan, while this batter fit in one pan? Please reply asap, as I am planning to make this cake tomorrow.
Hi Premitha, you can use whipped cream frosting and I think it will turn this cake into a black forest cake if you top it with some cherries and chocolate shavings. But I don’t know how much for this cake because I haven’t tried it so far. Go to joyofbaking.com and search for whipped cream frosting and you should get an idea. The batter is for two 9 inch cakes, so I’m not sure if it would be alright to use it in single pan. The rule of thumb is the batter should not me more than half of the pan when filled so that it has enough room to rise. If it doesn’t have enough room then the cake will rise but after sometime it will sink in the middle.
Hi Madhuram,
Thanks for the quick reply. I baked this cake yesterday, like you said one pan was not adequate, so used a rectangle pan. I think, it was overbaked, became a little fudgy and chewy. However, it tasted awesome. Going to bake it again, this time will monitor it closely. Will update the result soon.
Hi
Can I use any brad of silken tofu?…..I can get premium silken tofu….
Wanted to try this cake first time trying a chocolate cake…me too wanted to make it for my son’s b’day……..thank you
Any brand should be fine, preferably organic or at least made use non-GMO soy beans.
Hi, Do you think we can use this recipe to make cupcakes? Thanks!
Yes, it will work Mikki. But check for the baking time though. It should be done around 14-17 minutes.
Can we replace silken tofu with any other ingredient?
You can use yogurt instead of tofu. I tried that and it was great. Eggless Chocolate Bottle Gourd Cake Using Yogurt with Ovaltine Frosting
Hi, I had baked this cake so many times, it turns out great everytime and it became a birthday cake staple for my son. I left a comment looong time back. Any way, my son wants an ice cream cake this year, and I want to use this cake as base. Do you think it would be good after freezing ? I plan to layer it with vanilla ice cream and decorate with oreos / chocolate shavings..
Thanks for the compliments, Valli. I haven’t tried freezing this cake, but my guess is, it should turn out good. Do leave your feedback if you do make it.
Oh, was it good !! It was AWESOME. Last year, I made this cake with
a chocolate ganache frosting and it was such a hit. My niece went on saying “Oh, I am unable to eat any more yet I want to eat more of this- cant get enough of it”. Everyone was surprised that it was eggless. My niece who hates cooking was inspired to bake it and take it to her colleagues at office who fell in love with it.
This time, I had an idea that since the cake was moist, and no butter, it should be good for the icecream cake, and it was.
I used only one half of the cake, put it in a cake tin after cooling.Spead ice cream – softened but not melted – on top and froze it.
I used Amul Ice cream, vanilla flavour, halved it, one half mixed with crushed oreo cookies – one layer – freeze – then plain vanilla icecream, one layer.Froze again. decoration : Just oreo cookies, stuck to the side of the cake. It was soo good, I almost did not get a piece to eat. I will make it again .
I have not seen you, but yesterday all of us at the party were cheering for you as well for the recipe. Bless you !
And oh, I used curd instead of tofu since I didnt have tofu.
Thank you so much Valli, for your detailed feedback. You made my day. I too am so eager to make an ice-cream cake now. Thanks for the idea. Do rate the recipe when you find time.
Hi Madhuram,
I tried this recipe. I baked the cake for 35 mins in a pre heated oven. After 35 mins, when I inserted a knife into the cake, it came out clear showing that the cake has been baked. So I removed the cake from the oven. But after cutting and eating it, I realised that it has not been properly baked. It tasted a little raw from inside. What could be the reason for the same?
The taste was good although.
Did you taste it almost immediately out of the oven or waited for it to cool down completely?
Madhuram,
I tasted the cake after it had completely cooled down.
Actually I was baking a cake for the 1st time and wanted to just try it without doing any frosting. Also I did not have 2 pans.
So I halved the ingredients of your recipe and thought of baking only one cake rather than 2 as mentioned by you. By mistake I added 1 cup coffee instead of half cup to all the other ingredients that were halved in proportion. Could that be the reason for the cake not being baked well??
Also, as I mentioned earlier, when I inserted a knife into the cake, it came out clean after baking for 35 mins. So I fail to understand where and what has gone wrong.
Also, please let me know that in future if I bake a cake with the exact proportion of ingredients as told by you, n if I pour all the batter in one pan (half Kg pentagon shape aluminium cake pan) n bake a single cake rather than 2, then will it turn out good? I want to try it in the next week. So please let me know.
Increasing the quantity of coffee (or liquid) is not the reason if the knife inserted in the cake came out clean. What kind of tofu did you use? I have halved the measurements of this cake and baked it using yogurt instead of tofu. You can check it here: http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/03/23/eggless-chocolate-cake-yogurt/
I’m not sure how big a 1/2 kg pan is or how it looks. Check the following link to measure pan sizes and dimensions: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Madhuram,
I had used curd instead of tofu. I have heard Curd is considered a form of yogurt. So I used it.
Also, please let me know how big should my baking pan be if I wish to bake a single cake with all the ingredients mentioned exactly as by you with only difference being, yogurt replaced by half cup curds.
Please revert asap as I wish to bake the cake again tomorrow.
Curd/yogurt is a good substitute. I’m not able to guess what went wrong. A 13×9 inch pan is sufficient for baking it as a single cake.
Hi, I just want to ask can I use yogurt instead of tofu, because I can’t find it. Also I found Dr. Oetker Ready To Roll Icing Chocolate, can i use this, or do I have to use Dr. oetker organic chocolate mix, but I can’t find this anywhere. Do I have to leave the cake in the freezer for 1 day before frosting, and decorting the cake. Thanks.
You can use yogurt instead of tofu. I have done it in this Eggless Chocolate Bottle Gourd Cake Using Yogurt with Ovaltine Frosting. I checked out the icing you are talking about and I guess it’s fondant and you can lay it on the cake directly. You don’t need to store the cake in the freezer. Leaving it at room temperature or the fridge should be just fine.
Hi,
I tried your recipe yesterday…it came out so well..delicious…Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Priyanka.
Could you tell me a substitute for the tofu in this recipe please. i’m finding it to be very difficult to get tofu in the market around my place!
You can use equal quantity of yogurt. I tried it in this Eggless Chocolate Bottle Gourd Cake Using Yogurt with Ovaltine Frosting recipe and it turned out great.
I tried this recipe. It’s nice. Thank you.
You’re welcome Shraddha.
[...] for the best chocolate cake recipe for your next celebration? consider browsing the entire tried and tested cake recipes collection [...]