Margaret, my maternal grandmother, grew up in rural western Iowa during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
As part of a large family with little money, she learned early on in life to make do with what she had. This nationwide period of economic devastation made it essential for many Americans to find creative ways to save money, especially when it came to household expenses. Recipes without eggs or dairy were devised, patterned flour sacks were transformed by hand into clothing, and food was grown at home when possible and traded between neighbors. Margaret’s lifelong frugality emerged from necessity, a common trait amongst those of the Greatest Generation.
When I became vegan over a decade ago, my grandmother struggled to understand my “diet.” Most people are raised to believe that protein primarily comes from meat, baked goods always require eggs, and dairy milk is important for strong bones. Margaret had lived through the Great Depression, after all, and felt that these ingredients were indicators of stability and good health. While I understood this conventional wisdom from a historical perspective, I had discovered for myself that plant-based meals could be nourishing and delicious–and an opportunity for me to do the least harm possible by not using animal products.
Over the years, Margaret sometimes sent me newspaper or magazine clippings by post if she thought I would find them interesting. I opened my mailbox one day to find a letter from her with an enclosed cake recipe. She had underlined the word “vinegar” in the list of ingredients, identifying the most unorthodox component, and highlighting the absence of eggs and milk. In part, the letter said, “I understand now that you are on the Depression diet.” I laughed, appreciating that she had finally found a way to connect her life experience to my cooking methods. I was skeptical about the vinegar cake recipe at first, but was pleasantly surprised by its fluffy texture, rich chocolate flavor, and inventiveness.
I remember my grandmother each time I make vinegar cake for a gathering or special occasion. I think about her childhood as a farm kid during one of the nation’s toughest decades, her efforts to relate to my food philosophy in ways that made sense to her, and the way in which she arrived at every family birthday with a chocolate cake delivered in her signature plastic cake carrier.
While the cake recipe included here is not the same one she sent me many years ago, it is very close. A frosting recipe using vegan dairy alternatives is included as an optional treat. I hope you will enjoy, share cake with friends and family, and consider the deep history of simple and creative recipes like these.
Chocolate vinegar cake
* Yields 9 servings
Cake ingredients:
1 ½ C. all-purpose flour
1 C. cane sugar
¼ C. cocoa powder, unsweetened
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
⅓ C. canola oil
1 C. water
Frosting ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or margarine
¼ C. cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 C. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. oat milk (or other alternative milk, such as almond or soy)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Directions for the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using a whisk to gently stir them together.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and fold everything together until there are no lumps and all of the flour has been incorporated. The batter will seem a little thick, but this is okay.
Use vegan butter to grease an 8×8 baking pan. Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before adding frosting or topping with powdered sugar.
Directions for the frosting:
Melt the vegan butter in a bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
Remove the melted vegan butter from heat and add the cocoa powder. Stir until a thick paste is formed.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chocolate paste, powdered sugar, oat milk, and vanilla using a hand mixer on low speed. Increase the speed of the mixer once all of the ingredients have been incorporated.
Mix the frosting on high speed for about 5 minutes, until it is creamy and free of lumps.
Spread the frosting immediately onto the cooled cake.
To make this cake extra festive, serve it with fresh strawberries or other in-season fruit. Enjoy.
Sara Pinkham lives in Iowa City with her spouse and four cats. She has been vegan for 14 years and serves on the board for the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa.For questions or comments, email veganeasterniowa@gmail.com or visit veganeasterniowa.org.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Chocolate vinegar cake for summer celebrations | Vegan Column
