COCONUT ORANGE CREME CHOCOLATE CAKE

COCONUT ORANGE CREME CHOCOLATE CAKE

Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream and Cold-Pressed Pumpkin Seed Oil create a perfect texture in this chocolate cake. The  finely ground cocoa beans is an added bonus! Filled and iced with coconut orange creme!

Serves 12 or more

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake:

16 oz. can applesauce

1/4 c. cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. unsweetened powdered cocoa

1 t. salt

1 T. baking soda

2 t. vanilla extract

2 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. finely ground cocoa beans – I grind mine in the coffee bean grinder

1/2 c. Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, plain

2 c. unbleached flour

1/2 c. water

In large bowl combine applesauce, pumpkin seed oil and sugar. Stir well.

Add powdered cocoa, salt and baking soda. Stir again. Batter will foam up.

Add vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa beans and Tofutti Sour Cream. Stir well after each addition to completely incorporate.

Now add flour all at once, stirring hard with a sturdy spoon about 1 minute till all lumps are gone. Don’t use a mixer for this cake.

Add water, again stirring hard, this time for about 3 minutes, till smooth.

Grease and flour 2, 8 inch cake tins. Flour bottoms and sides, then tap out excess flour.

Pour batter evenly between tins. Smooth out with spoon, then lift each tin up using both hands and drop onto counter top to level batter – a few times will do it.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean when inserted into middle of cakes. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.

Run knife around edge of pans between cake and pan, to loosen cake if needed (flouring the sides of the pans usually eliminates this step, but not always). Place rack on top of pan, invert, tap bottom of pan in several places. Lift off pan, then place hand on cake, invert again so cake is in your hand, then place rounded side up on rack.

Cool completely at room temperature, then wrap gently in foil and refrigerate till ready to frost. Refrigerating the cakes makes frosting them easier.

Filling:

1/4 c. orange marmalade

1/4 c. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, cold

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. flaked coconut

1/2 t. lemon extract

Combine all ‘filling’ ingredients in bowl, stirring well after each addition. Refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm it up a bit by allowing the coconut to plump up.

Icing:

1 stick animal-free margarine, cold

2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. orange marmalade

2 c. additional powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. flaked coconut.

Combine margarine and 1st 2 c. of powdered sugar in bowl. Mash with potato masher till mealy.

Add orange marmalade. Mash, then stir with spoon till smooth.

Add additional powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir well till smooth.

Add coconut and stir till evenly dispersed. Refrigerate till chilled.

Icing the cake:

Place one cake rounded side up on cake plate. Top evenly with filling without going to the edge.

Place second cake on top, also rounded side up, pressing cake down a bit. Some filling with ooze out falling a little down the sides. Take a metal spatula and work the filling back up, repeatedly if necessary, till it stays put. It will.

Frost the entire cake with the icing, doing the sides first and the top last.

Refrigerate till icing has set, then remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before cutting to serve. It’s good cold, or at room temperature.