Dairy-Free Birthday Cake

   

     Three days ago, we celebrated my mom's birthday, which actually happens on May 29. I baked the cake. She is off dairy right now, so I made the cake and frosting dairy-free. The recipes came from It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Fell Great, a cookbook we have with many dairy-free recipes. The cake have chocolate cake and vanilla frosting. The cake turned out great, with most of the people who ate it liking it. I made the cake with a layer of frosting in the middle of the cake, on top, and on the sides. I put strawberries in the middle layer of frosting and on top of the cake. This is the recipe I used for the cake, transcribed (more or less) from the cookbook.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
A pinch of sea salt
1/2 vegetable oil
1 cup good-quality maple syrup
1/2 cup rice syrup
1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee
1/2 cup rice milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, maple syrup, rice syrup, the coffee, the rice milk, and the vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients in to dry ones, being careful not to overbeat. Divide the batter into two greased 8- or 9-inch baking pans. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely (I froze them overnight). Frost the cake with the frosting below (add berries) and serve.

Here's the frosting:

2 cups organic vegetable shortening
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. The frosting can be refrigerated for up to a month, but bring it back to room temperature  and rewhip before using.