This is the most divine recipe for a dairy free and egg free chocolate cake! It makes an impressively large, deliciously moist cake and best of all, it only takes 5 minutes to prepare. For chocolate lovers, this is a MUST HAVE recipe - even if you don't have allergies!

Chocolate Cake (Alias "Cocoa Cake")

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
6 Tbsp cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp vinegar
½ cup cooking oil
2 cups water

1. Sift dry ingredients through twice.
2. Add liquids and mix well.
3. Bake at 170°C in a 20-22 cm round greased tin for 55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
Variations:
36 mini muffins (bake for 10-15 minutes)
18 standard muffins (bake for 20 minutes)

We usually make the mini muffins and freeze when cakes are cool. They can be taken straight from the freezer to the lunchbox. They are excellent to take to children's parties decorated with your favourite icing and suitable sprinkles i.e. hundreds and thousands, rainbow sprinkles, passionfruit, coconut threads, dinosaur lollies etc.

One Pot Chocolate Cake

125g dairy free margarine
2 dessertspoons golden syrup
1½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup rice milk
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Melt margarine, sugar, golden syrup, ½ cup milk.
2. Add sifted flour and cocoa.
3. Stir well, adding vanilla and baking soda in rest of milk.
4. Bake at 180°C, 40-50 minutes.

Quick Banana Cake

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp egg replacer
½ cup melted dairy free margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup milk (rice, soy etc)

1. Sift and mix dry ingredients.
2. Add wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. Bake 40 -50 minutes at 190°C.

Marble Cake

125g dairy free margarine
¾ cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 tsp egg replacer
4 Tbsp water
2 cups self-raising flour
Pinch salt
¾ cup rice milk (or alternative)
2 Tbsp cocoa
Few drops red food colouring

1. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg replacer which has been mixed with water.
3. Beat well.
4. Fold in sifted flour alternatively with milk.
5. Divide mixture into three portions. Colour one portion pink, add cocoa to the second, and leave third portion plain.
6. Spoon mixtures into greased 18cm cake pan alternately and make pattern through mixture with a skewer.
7. Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes.

NB: This is also a great recipe for a plain cake without adding the marble effect.

Chocolate Sponge

8 tsp egg replacer
8 Tbsp water
1 cup castor sugar
1½ Tbsp dairy free margarine
2½ Tbsp cocoa
4 Tsp boiling water
1¼ cup self-raising flour

1. Beat egg replacer with water. Gradually add sugar.
2. Beat for 15 minutes.
3. Combine margarine, cocoa and boiling water.
4. Fold into egg mixture.
5. Pour into two greased 18 cm cake pans.
6. Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes, or until shrinking slightly from sides of pan.
7. Remove from tins to cool.
8. Join with icing, or jam, or whipped cream if allowed.
9. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar, or ice and decorate as desired.

Carob Cake (Gluten Free)

 1 cup rice flour
½ cup arrowroot
½ cup castor sugar
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp carob
1 tsp baking soda
5 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 cup cold water

1. Sift dry ingredients.
2. Mix wet ingredients together.
3. Combine dry and wet ingredients, beating until smooth.
4. Pour into an oiled and floured loaf tin.
5. Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes.
NB. Don't cut until cake is cold otherwise it will crumble.