Snowball Cake, (Vegan Chocolate Applesauce Cake)

Everyone loves chocolate, well maybe not everyone. I always say I'm not a "huge fan" yet I rarely turn it down. When I was a kid I remember having snowball cakes around. You know em, the neon pink little fluff balls of marshmallow with a devils food center and flaky coconut exterior. Although they were amazing when I was a kid I've purchased them recently because I just had to and I was slightly disappointed. It did not seem the same as I'd remembered. I can't really figure out why it is that things like fruity sugary cereals and certain tastycakes just seemed so heavenly, yet when I try them now I'm underwhelmed. This cake is a vegan chocolate applesauce cake I made not long ago. Its a moist dense bundt cake that uses mostly applesauce instead of a heavy amount of oil, and of course no eggs. It's somewhat comparable to a regular devils food cake. You could use more chocolate for a richer result however I was not in the mood for WHAM! In your face chocolate. I wanted something somewhat understated. Using homemade applesauce just made this even more incredible. I found that although low in fat it was great for satisfying my craving for sweets without being too rich or sweet. By itself it was a perfect little snack, for a little more decadence I made a coconut glaze. I wanted snowball-esque and I just happened to have a half empty can of coconut milk. I did not write down the recipe for the glaze so its kind of half-hearted. I apologize but I assure you that if you go for it and wing it, it'll be great. 

Snowball Cake (Vegan applesauce cake)

This cake is very easy to make. Its a simple mix and dump recipe that is delicious by itself as a snack or slightly decadent with a coconut glaze. You could also serve this with a chocolate glaze, a fruit compote or a smooth raspberry sauce it's versatile, satisfying yet not overwhelmingly sweet. 

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups un-bleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 cups applesauce ( I used homemade chunky lightly spiced)

1/4 cup flavorless oil 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. 

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray (or grease with margarine or vegetable shortening) Place 2-3 tablespoons of flour into the pan. Roll the pan to coat the grease with flour in an even layer. 

In a bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk together. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the batter out. Bang the pan on the counter gently to remove air bubbles. 

BAKE- 1 hour or until a toothpick or sharp knife tests clean. Allow to cool approximately 1 hour before removing. 

Coconut Glaze- The approximation

coconut milk (1 cup)

1/2 cup coconut flakes

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

a few drops of coconut extract (optional)

pinch of salt