Lent is still going, so I'll keep sharing Lenten recipes! Today it's a Lenten chocolate cake! I based it on the Lenten Cake with Jam and Glaze recipe and bumped up the cocoa to make it even more chocolatey. Instead of plain water, I used strongly brewed coffee as the liquid — coffee always pairs beautifully with this kind of chocolate bake. For the add-ins, I used sweet Chilean prunes, which don't have that cheap smoky smell you often get with most prunes. I also added hazelnuts and orange zest, but feel free to use any dried fruit and nuts you like — raisins, dried apricots, almonds, walnuts. The cake is very versatile that way. I topped it with melted chocolate, but you can make a glaze if you prefer. The cake turned out incredibly delicious — tender, soft, and moist. So good!
Ingredients:
- 200 g flour
- 150 g sugar
- 70 g vegetable oil
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder (level)
- 2 tsp coffee (level)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- Add-ins (to taste):
- 70 g prunes
- 70 g hazelnuts
- zest of half an orange
- Topping:
- 50–100 g dark chocolate
- sliced almonds
How to cook lenten chocolate cake
Combine all the ingredients except the vegetable oil and coffee in one bowl. Make sure to use a good-quality cocoa powder — drinks like Nesquik or cheap low-quality cocoa powder won't work here. The better the cocoa, the tastier the cake. Stir the dry mixture together.
Brew a strong cup of coffee ahead of time (using 220 ml of water) and let it cool completely. Pour in the cooled coffee and stir. The batter should be medium thickness. If needed, add another 2–3 tbsp of water to reach the right consistency. Add the vegetable oil and stir (use refined oil). Fold in the add-ins.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
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