I found this cake when I was visiting Debbie . How can a cake that is made without eggs or butter be so good? I have no idea but it is the quickest and easiest cake to make and tastes fabulous.
Debbie quotes from the original article by Gastropoda and I've copied it here.
Cocoa works best in recipes that are designed for it. . . . Even something as simple as the classic Amazon, or black-bottom, cake found in so many cookbooks uses no dairy products or eggs, only vegetable oil and vinegar with cold water. The cocoa reacts to the combination to produce the darkest, moistest cake seen outside the photo on a box of mix.
Check out Debbie's photos as they are so much more appetising than mine.
Amazon Cake
From The New York Times
Adapted from Cafe Beaujolais
serves 6 to 8
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used organic Dutch Cocoa)
1 t. baking soda
1 cup sugar
½ t. salt
5 T. corn oil (I used light olive oil)
1 ½ t. vanilla
1 T. cider vinegar
Confectioners’ sugar.
Heat
the oven to 350 (180) degrees. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda,
sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla and
vinegar with 1 cup cold water. Whisk in the dry ingredients, blending
until completely lump-free. Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed
gently. Cool before removing from the pan and dusting with
confectioners’ sugar, or frosting if desired.
I baked it at 180C in a fan forced oven and it was ready in 30 minutes. I also lined the tin with parchment paper.
