As promised: A Recipe!

All right, here's a recipe. If it looks hauntingly similar to vegan chocolate cake recipes by say, The Grit in Athens, or the Post-Punk Kitchen, or, i dunno, the West End Bakery, that's because recipes are folklore, they get passed around and tweaked and reappear in various guises. Who's the first person who thought to make an icing out of melted chocolate chips and tofu? Not me, but whoever it was, I'm sure glad they did. Another note about this recipe: it will blow you mind, whether you are vegan or not. I've been accused of lying about this being vegan, because its so good (not that vegan can't blow your mind, its just that some people don't believe that). Without further ado, I present to you:

Sugar-Free Vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake
From Short Street Cakes, Asheville, NC

Makes 18 cupcakes or 2- 8” round layers

Sift into bowl of stand mixer:
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder
1 ½ t. baking soda
½ t. cayenne pepper
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. salt

Combine:
1 cup rice syrup
1 cup applesauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla extract

Combine liquid ingredients with dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Add and combine:
1 c. strong brewed hot coffee
Add and combine:
2 T. apple cider vinegar
Quickly pour into cupcake liners or parchment-lined baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until the cake comes away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Vegan Mexican Ganache
In food processor with blade attachment, puree:
1 package silken firm tofu
2 cups melted grain-sweetened vegan chocolate chips
½ t. cayenne pepper
1 t. cinnamon
Cool until spreadable.