Double Chocolate Snack Cake

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup brown sugar or organic cane sugar
1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable
1 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup vegan chocolate or carob chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix all but last three ingredients in a greased 8x8 square pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over batter. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Persimmon Cake w/Orange Glaze

Persimmons are common in Oklahoma, but our wild variety ones are so small, they aren't all that enjoyable to eat plain. It takes a bit of work to get the pulp, but once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take too long at all. I cut the sugar way down in this cake, because the persimmons I was using were super sweet, so may want to taste the batter before you put it in the pan to see if it's to your liking. Also remember that the raisins add sweetness. Also, you can leave the glaze off if you prefer, I just wanted to add a little something special to it for Thanksgiving!

CAKE
2 cups chopped nuts
1 cup raisins (golden looks great)
2 cups persimmon pulp, mashed
½ cup sugar
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs. aluminum free baking powder
1 cup dairy-free milk

GLAZE
1 Tbs. coconut oil or Earth Balance
¼ cup organic powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
1-2 Tbs. orange juice

Mix nuts, raisins, persimmon pulp, and sugar. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to first mixture. Bake at 325°F for about 40 minutes in a 9x13 cake pan lightly greased with coconut oil, or until set and toothpick inserted in the middle comes about clean. Set on cooling rack to cool in pan.

To make glaze: melt fat over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Stir in powdered sugar and orange peel. Add orange juice until glaze has a smooth consistency. Pour over cake in pattern or spread out evenly as desired.

Fluffy Banana Cake with Creamy Carob Frosting

Vegan cakes, especially when made with whole wheat flour can often turn out to be either gooey mound or a hard brick. Bananas keep this cake soft and moist without weighing it down or making it gooey, while using whole wheat pastry flour keeps it lighter than regular whole wheat flour would. The frosting is a mock buttercream made with avocados of all things! This just came to me while wondering how I was going to make a "buttercream" frosting for my husband's birthday cake with no butter, margarine, or powdered sugar. I had a basket full of ripe avocados, so I thought, "Hey, it's worth a shot". I had to tweak it a bit to get the consistency and taste I wanted, but I turned out great, and no one at the table was any wiser about the lack of butter.

Cake:
2 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp stevia
1/2 cup xylitol
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
3 small ripe bananas
3 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
2 ripe avocados
3 - 4 Tbsp carob powder
1/4 tsp stevia
3- 4 Tbsp xylitol
1 - 2 Tbsp honey or agave (optional)
Pinch of salt
Splash of almond milk

For cake: beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds, then on high speed until well mixed and smooth. Do not over mix. Pour into cake pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes for rectangles, 30-35 minutes for 9-inch rounds, 20-25 minutes for 8-inch rounds, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

For frosting: beat all ingredients with electric mixer on high until smooth and whipped. Adjust sweetener and carob powder to taste. Frost cooled cake as desired.