Fat-Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding Cake (Vegan too!)

I was rifling through some cookbooks looking for some inspiration, when I stumbled across a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens for a chocolate pudding brownie that had a wonderful back-story. The cake was originally conceived during wartimes and used no butter, no eggs, and very little sugar. Women could make this cake and not use precious resources (like butter, eggs and sugar) that were scarce, while still entertaining their guests.  So, basically, I found it incredibly interesting that wives used basically vegan (they used milk though) recipes to get through wartimes!

I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, but the basic inspiration is still there. When you make it, you layer a thick cake batter in the bottom of the pan, and pour a separate batter on top. While it bakes, the cake rises to the top and the liquid thickens into a pudding under the cake! Like magic, you have a layered chocolate delight, sans dairy and with very little sugar! Voila

To keep it vegan, you can use the vegan chocolate of your choice for the chopped semisweet chocolate (or even use chocolate chips), but I used TCHO 66%. I love that the chopped chocolate adds little pockets of smooth, melt-y goodness to the cake portion. Use the best chocolate you have on hand, because it adds another rich dimension to the dish.

1 cup flour ( ½ cup whole wheat, ½ cup white)

½ cup Splenda

2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. unsweetened coconut flakes

2 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (I used TCHO 66%)

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cups boiling water

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8” pan with non-stick spray.

~In a large bowl, stir together the flour, Splenda, 2 Tbs. cocoa, baking powder and salt. Then, add the almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut and the chocolate chunks. This will be a very thick batter! Transfer the batter to the pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly in the bottom of the pan.

~Next, (I  used the same bowl I just used) combine the brown sugar and cocoa. Add the boiling water and carefully stir until the sugar and cocoa are melted into the water. Carefully pour this mixture over the top on the batter in the pan. Put in the oven and bake for 40 min. Remove from the oven and let cool for 40 min before serving! Enjoy! 

Strike up a conversation: Do you ever try out recipes with a historical background?