Chocolate Applesauce Walnut Cake

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A vegan variation on a cake recipe by my college roommate Elizabeth, with orange promoted to a primary flavor -- increasing the zest in the cake from 1/2 tsp to at least a tablespoon, and adding a very zesty orange glaze. Yum! Larry loved it. And as cakes go, it's fairly healthy, with whole wheat flour, apples, and walnuts as main ingredients and not much oil.

Ingredients

Wet:
1/2 cup soft vegan butter (or oil is ok)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T flaxmeal, 6 T water)
3/4 cup dairy-free milk + 1 tsp vinegar
2 cups applesauce OR pureed apple
1 tsp vanilla
1 T grated orange or tangerine rind

Dry:
3 cup whole wheat flour, or a mix of whole grains
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1+ cup chopped walnuts

Glaze (optional)
1 cup powdered/confectioners sugar
1+ tsp orange zest (I like more!)
2+ T orange juice
(additional water, as needed)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour cake pan.

Make the flax eggs: Mix flax meal with warm water and set aside.
Make curdled milk: mix non-dairy milk with 1 tsp vinegar and set aside.

Mix up dry ingredients in a large bowl, from flour down to walnuts. (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup buckwheat, and it turned out just fine. I also like a bit more than a cup of walnuts :)

If using apples instead of applesauce, cut up apples, put in food processor, and blend to get a couple of cups of puree.

Cream together the wet ingredients and sugar. Add wet mixture to dry and mix. Pour into greased and floured bundt cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Remove and let cool. Mix up the glaze, and drizzle it on top after it has cooled. Serve!


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