Catch the Spoon

I don’t know about you, but whenever I have company coming, and decide to bake at the last minute, I’m inevitably out of one or more of the ingredients I need to make whatever it is I want to make. With 18″ of snow on the ground and a 2WD pickup, there was no way I was going out for eggs or white sugar today, so here’s the recipe for the no-egg company cake that is cooling on my dining room table as I type.

In the absence of eggs, the reaction of baking soda and vinegar provides the leavening needed for a light, fluffy cake. This recipe can be used as a base for any number of mix-ins – add chocolate chips for a chocolate chip cookie cake, cocoa or melted baking chocolate for a simple chocolate cake, cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins for a spice cake, or galangal, pepper, coconut, and ginger for an eastern flavor.

No-Egg Company Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F; lightly grease a 13×9″ pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring until just combined. Pour into pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Quick Chocolate Spice Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

Mix together butter, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and cocoa until ingredients are well-combined and butter is evenly distributed. Slowly add coffee and milk, adding more milk if needed to achieve desired consistency. Spread on cooled cake.