Not that long ago, I was teaching a Food for Life nutrition education and cooking class at a large cancer center in South Carolina. We were still setting everything up before class, and a few patients had begun to trickle into the room. This Hot Fudge Cake soon became the the topic of conversation for healthy vegan desserts.
The handouts for class had already been put down at each seat, and a couple of women were looking over them since they were early. Handouts for classes include copies of recipes, menu planners, and more.
At the time, they were looking at the Menu Planner. It consisted of rows for ‘Breakfasts,’ Lunch & Dinner,’ and ‘Desserts & Snacks.” Included were a number of different options for each section, along with space for them to fill in their own personal preferences and ideas.
I heard one of the class participants lean over to the other one and say, “Hot Fudge Cake! This must be some kind of a joke.”
After I chuckled for a moment, I walked over and told them it was no joke. The Hot Fudge Cake recipe is from Dr. Neal Barnard and his team at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
This recipe is completely oil and dairy-free. It’s very simple to make and has only 143 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.
They were thrilled to realize that a whole food plant-based lifestyle is not one of deprivation. In addition to this recipe, there are other great healthy vegan desserts listed like No-Bake Chocolate Pie, Glazed Carrot Cake, and Mango Lime Sorbet. These, of course, are not something we eat every week, but they are great treats once in awhile.
One of the last steps in this recipe is to pour a mixture of sweetener and cocoa powder evenly over the batter in the pan. It will be thin and watery, but will thicken up when baked. Trust me, just do it. It will be a frosting-like covering over the cake and is delicious!
If you leave the cake in pan instead of dumping out, just spoon the gooey fudge over each serving. Yummy!
Video from a Friend That Made This Cake
My friend, and fellow Food for Life instructor, Beth Perera, shared her experience making this recipe recently. Click on the pictures to see the process in action including her bubbly, fresh-out-of-the-oven Hot Fudge Cake. I love her excitement. Chocolate has the same effect on me!
Plant-Based Meal Planning 101
Most of us have about nine meals that we make over and over, because we like them and they are familiar to us. We keep the ingredients on-hand and can whip them up in no time. I call those the 9 meals in our ‘Wheelhouse.’
The key to being successful with plant-based nutrition is changing out those old Wheelhouse meals to healthier ones.
The Meal & Snack Planner HERE will help guide you to do that. It links breakfast and snack ideas from my website to help get you started.
Other Great Dessert Ideas:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (divide in half)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or any plant milk)
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (use 1 cup if you like it sweeter)
- 1-1/4 cups hot water
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Place flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder in a large bowl.
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Whisk dry ingredients together.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, and apple sauce.
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Pour wet mixture into flour mixture and mix well.
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Spoon mixture into a silicone nonstick 8-9" square pan. Link to amazon below. Since silicone pans are very flexible, you will need to use a baking sheet underneath for stability. Glass or metal pans lined with parchment paper also will work fine.
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In a clean bowl, combine brown sugar and last half of cocoa powder. Gradually beat in hot water using a whisk and blend thoroughly.
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Pour evenly over batter in pan. It will be thin and watery, but will thicken up when baked. Trust me, just do it. It will be a frosting-like covering over the cake and is delicious! If you leave the cake in pan instead of dumping out, just spoon the gooey fudge over each serving.
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Bake on center rack of oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Spoon fudge sauce over each serving.
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Serve warm or chilled. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Breaking the Food Seduction. Per slice: calories 143, protein 3 grams, fat 1 gram
Plant-Based Starter Kit
Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. When you buy something through my links, I receive a commission that helps support this site which is greatly appreciated.
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Just give you the heads-up that vanilla extract, which is listed as one of the ingredients, is not included in the instructions.
Thank Wayne! Got it fixed! 🙂
Is there frosting on the cake in the photos?
That is part of the cake (brown sugar, last half of cocoa powder, and hot water). It is poured over the cake right before baking.
I’m so confused. Is the brown sugar in the recipe supposed to be for the top?? Am I missing some part of the recipe? How much brown sugar is supposed to be used in the topping?
Maria, all of of the brown sugar is used in step #7 in the topping. None is used in the batter.
You said spoon the fudge sauce over each serving. How do you bake it separately? Your instructions are confusing in that regard.
The cake is baked whole in a baking pan. After it has cooled, it should be sliced into individual servings. Then the sauce can be spooned over before serving.
What is the pan size?
An 8-9″ pan works well for this. Happy baking!
I don’t have a silicone pan. Can you recommend either a glass dish or a baking pan?
Sandi,
You can use any pan you have on-hand. I used a 8-9″ pan. Lining the pan with parchment paper will allow for baking without spraying oil if you like.
Can this be made gluten free?
I have not baked with gluten-free flour before but found this link that might be helpful. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2015/02/13/gluten-free-baking-tips/
I have not baked with gluten-free flour before, but this link to Minimalist Baker sounds helpful. http://minimalistbaker.com/diy-gluten-free-flour-blend/
Anyone know a sub for the brown sugar?
Was just wondering could date paste be used instead of sugar?
Yes, date paste should work in this recipe. Enjoy!
I used coconut sugar and it turned out well.
Thanks so much for letting us know!
So is there a recipe for the fudge sauce to spoon over each piece?
The fudge sauce is part of the recipe, poured into the pan before baking. It will seem thin and watery before it is baked, but thickens up when cooking. You can then spoon it over each piece as served.
I’m a little confused. If we pour the sauce over the batter before baking then won’t it already be on the cake? You said to spoon it over each piece. Isn’t it already on each piece?
Pattsi, yes, the cake is baked with the frosing/sauce, and after baking there is still some of the gooey fudge sauce in the baking pan. I like to spoon a little over pieces as they are served.
I haven’t made this yet, but you could probably use coconut sugar 🙂
I haven’t tried coconut sugar before, but would love to hear how it turns out for you.
Have you ever made cupcakes with this recipe?
I have not made cupcakes with this recipe, but would be interested in hearing how it turns out, if you give it a try.
If I understand correctly, the sauce is poured over the top and, during cooking, it sinks to the bottom and thickens forming a fudge sauce. I made this today… the chocolate cake was good but the sauce did not thicken at all. After letting it cool in the pan, I had to thicken it separately in a saucepan after turning out the cake (and that did not go well). Any tips?
I am not sure what might have happened with that. When I make it, the sauce thickens due to the flour in the cake that it is poured over. It’s not as thick as icing for a regular cake, but a thicker gooey texture. We spoon the fudgy glaze over each slice of cake as it is served.
I’m going to try this with walnuts and using hot coffee instead of hot water. Mmmm…. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for this recipe!
It was awesome! Will definitely add walnuts and use coffee next time. Thank you!
So glad to hear that, and I love that you are personalizing it for your taste preferences. Thank you for the great feedback!