Super Moist Vegan Chocolate Cake trouble!

[chickendude]

Last night I was making the Super Moist Vegan Chocolate Cake (I searched on google and found the recipe here: http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/252...hocolate-Cake/).

Well, throughout the entire time of making it it tasted amazing. The final batter was good enough that I was tempted not to cook it but just to eat that, and I was incredibly excited about the final product. Well, after cooking it for just over 30 minutes, I took it out and let it sit. I waited about half an hour, iced it, then cut myself a piece. The actual cake (not the frosting) tasted incredibly bland, and had a slight aftertaste of baking soda. Has anyone else made this cake before (or one similar)? I'm just wondering how the batter could taste so good but the finished cake so bland, almost bad. The only substitution I made was vanilla syrup in place of vanilla extract, but other than that it was just as you can see right there.

I might make it again just to eat the batter, but if you have any help or suggestions, that'd be great!

EDIT: Here are the ingredients
[CODE]INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour (can substitute with whole wheat flour)
• 3 tablespoons of sifted good quality cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup white or brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 5 tablespoons canola oil (can substitute with any veg oil)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract /// I used vanilla syrup
• 1 cup cold water [/CODE]

[twinkle]

That's not much vanilla anyway, even if you'd used extract rather than syrup - I would definitely up the vanilla and use extract.

It also strikes me as a lot of sugar in relation to the amount of flour, and doesn't seem like much cocoa.

Did it rise okay? I know you say it tasted of baking soda, but that doesn't seem like much.

Also - did you use white or wholemeal flour in the end?

[chickendude]

I used organic wholemeal flour and brown sugar, and it easily rose to the tip of my two inch pan. So yea, it did rise pretty well. I actually put a tablespoon of vanilla syrup in there to try and compensate for the extract, but I was thinking that might be part of the problem still. The batter certainly tasted chocolaty and delicious, just not the cake.

Thanks!

[twinkle]

Personally, I don't think wholemeal flour tastes very nice in cakes, with the possible exception of something like a fruit cake where there are a lot of other ingredients.

If you put syrup in what to me seems an already oversugary cake I think that could be one of the problems.

[chickendude]

Maybe it all cancels itself out?

Hm. Less sugar, a little more vanilla, white flour...

I've not made many cakes before, so excuse me when I ask this:
Why, even though it is so sugary, doesn't it taste sweet?

[puffin]

This may be a silly question but did you tip the cake out of the tin to cool and put it on a rack?

[Mr Flibble]

I've many arguments in the past with wholemeal flour lovers and sponge cake recipes, but my advice is to use white flour and white sugar. It'll lead to a lighter texture as opposed to a heavier one more suited (as twinkle says) to fruit cake. If you must, then at least mix half and half. The brown flour may add to the taste of less chocolate and will adjust the recipe slightly (I'm not a fan of authors who just say xxx can be used instead when they probably haven't tried it out).

It rises well because of the vinegar reacting with the baking soda. Vinegar in cakes thou? It's better to just use more baking soda and self raising flour. If you want to give it another go then check out this recipe which uses roughly the same ingredients but in different ratios (and also in metric ).

[chickendude]

Haha, yea afterwards I did remove the cake and place it on a cooling rack

So the flour could be taking out the chocolate taste? I guess I can try it again with white flour. Or maybe try that recipe you just provided, have you tried it before? I'd like to try the icing, at least.

[Mr Flibble]

I don't think the flour would be taking it out as such, more masking it. I don't believe I have tried the one i posted although I've had it made for me several times (including last week) with excellent results. It's similar in ingredients and ratios to my own recipe.

[twinkle]

Oh, also - did you put the optional salt in? cakes with no salt at all tend to taste bland. I normally put a pinch in, which probably works out more like 1/4 than 1/2 teaspoon.

[chickendude]

Yea, I put the salt in there. But really it only called for, what, a quarter of a teaspoon? This weekend I'll try that other recipe, probably (because the current cake I have will be gone by then). With some tofutti and extra icing, just about anything tastes excellent.

I'll have to spend some time converting it, though.

[Seaside]

Whenever you make a cake that needs help, tear it up into little pieces and mix it with soy pudding or custard, and jam, and turn it into a trifle. Its good with Hip Whip, or whipped soy cream. I would have made a trifle with your chocolate cake, some chocolate soy pudding, and some raspberry jam.

[absentmindedfan]

The chocolate cake I make uses equal amounts of cocoa and flour, and I always use very high quality cocoa (Green and Black's)
It also uses apple cider vinegar and baking powder as raising agents, and it always comes out delicious. So I would say next time more cocoa, white flour and white sugar.
At least trying them out is yummy if you cover it in custard!

[Cherry]

Yea, I put the salt in there. But really it only called for, what, a quarter of a teaspoon? This weekend I'll try that other recipe, probably (because the current cake I have will be gone by then). With some tofutti and extra icing, just about anything tastes excellent.

Are you dissing my cake!? I'd like to think that it tastes ok without the icing as well! It's also good done in a rectangular tin with this icing poured on top. In fact that would be my first choice for an 'everyday' cake.

In my opinion, you need to use lots of good cocoa, as AMF says. I'm not such a fan of salt though. I sometimes put a pinch in, but usually I don't bother. I wouldn't ever go without vanilla essence though.

[RedWellies]

Everyone should listen to Cherry, she is the goddess of chocolate cake.

[Cherry]

I think I'd quite like to be a cake goddess

[Jamie]

oooh funny you posted about this as I'm making a chocolate cake right now! it's from Vegan (Tony Weston & Yvonne Bishop):

250g self raising wholemeal flour (I didn't have SR so added in baking powder as per the pack instructions)
250g soft brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 heaped tsp carob powder
125ml rapeseed oil
150ml soya milk (I used almond as that's what's open right now)
1 tbsp vegan yoghurt (recipe in book), bean curd or coconut cream (I used soft silken tofu)
1 dsp cider vinegar
pinch of salt
25g dark choc

there is a filling too.

I had to try to make it in two halves because after putting in all the flour it didn't look like it was going to all fit in the food processor. But one half ended up really solid, and the other was more runny. Then I tried putting both together and my machine sounded a little strainy and really just the whole thing wasn't as runny as any other cake I've made. I added a spoonful more almond milk but not sure that helped much. It needed a lot of help to get out of the mixer into the pans. It's in the oven right now so I'll let you guys know how it turns out! It looks nice in the picture but I can't see it being very moist the way it was when it was batter...


ETA: don't bother trying this one, it's rubbish! came out flat and more like a brownie but with no nice nuts in it. You could taste the browness of the flour and it barely rose at all. Nevermind!

[chickendude]

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend anyone! I'm still relatively new to baking, so perhaps it was just some fault on my part

Anyways, I think I have more than enough help to make a failsafe, amazing cake next time I try to make one

[rianaelf]

twice as much cocoa <Divine cocoa is actually divine!> and soft muscaveda is good cos it tastes like fudge and has a good texture and substitute sweetened soya milk for the water and yeah, white flour!

[Cherry]

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend anyone! I'm still relatively new to baking, so perhaps it was just some fault on my part

I was only joking, and heaven forbid - the original recipe wasn't mine!

[aubergine]

Everyone should listen to Cherry, she is the goddess of chocolate cake.

I don't believe that for a second. I demand proof

[Cherry]

[RedWellies]

We should have a cake party...oh, maybe we could incorporate it into VBB's party?? Everyone has to bring cake (apart from me as I'm on loo roll duty).

[Cherry]

I made a coconut cake yesterday to practise (VBB's request) - it was a bit tooooo coconutty

[chickendude]

Coconut cake? That sounds really good

Also, my dad's allergic to soy (we found out after he ate some vegan donuts I made), and I want him to see that vegan food can taste good.

[Cherry]

Coconut cake? That sounds really good

No, trust me, the chocolate cake is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better! Still, now it's all gone I wouldn't say no to another one.

Have you tried again yet?