A few weeks ago I asked my good friend Tamar to bake a gluten-free, vegan cake for my 40th birthday party. I’ve tried making quite a few gluten-free, vegan cake recipes in the past, and none of them were bad, but they weren’t really great either. Baking often requires a precision that I don’t have the patience for. Tamar, on the other hand, is a tinkerer and a scientist, and I knew that by putting the assignment in her capable hands we’d end up with something awesome. I didn’t expect it to be this awesome though. Really, this is the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need. Chewy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and not too sweet.
Wet Ingredients
½ cup soy milk (or other plant-based milk)
⅓ cup almond paste (or tahini)
2 tbsp date syrup (or other liquid sweetener such as agave or maple syrup)
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup coconut oil
Dry Ingredients
2 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax seeds)
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp tapioca flour (or rice or potato flour)
½ cup ground almonds
2 tbsp coconut flour (or other GF flour)
Toppings
⅓ cup chocolate chips/walnuts/coconut flakes - or go crazy and add all of ‘em!
Instructions
Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl and beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and continue mixing until doughy and thick. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer batter to 11x7 baking dish lined with parchment paper and flatten surface. Bake 18-20 minutes until batter is stable - be careful not to overbake! Cool completely before serving.
