This Easy Vegan Strawberry Cake is bursting with color, flavor, and even a secret super-healthy ingredient. I’ll give you a hint, it’s one of my favorite ingredients to sneak into a recipe…and no, it’s not spinach.
I’ll start this recipe with a disclaimer. If you consider yourself a super-human vegan that eats only the healthiest of foods all the time, I’ll take a guess here that this recipe isn’t going to do it for you.
But if you’re interested in trying something dairy free that’s both delicious and more nutritional than your typical cake, you might want to check this one out.
Did I mention it was easy?
And delicious?
Well, how about cheap?
It’s true that some vegan recipes include ingredients that can weigh a little heavy on the pocketbook. But not this one. You can find everything you need in aisles 3 and 4 of my grocery store. At least that’s where they are today.
Is it just me or does it seem like grocery stores change things around sometimes just to mess with you!
I like making interesting and ultra-healthy vegan dishes with complicated ingredients. But sometimes I just enjoy a slice of something a little on the easy side.
Now, what about that secret ingredient? Chickpeas. Yes, that’s right, this cake has chickpeas in it. I’ve found using a store-bought cake mix and excluding the eggs leaves the cake too airy. It falls apart on the plate. I wanted it to be a little more dense and one can of whipped chickpeas (thanks, handy dandy food processor) and that problem was solved. The only thing left to figure out? How to avoid eating it all at one sitting!
Easy Vegan Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup oil
- Strawberry Cake Mix
- Strawberry frosting
- Sprinkles (optional)
Directions
- Heat your oven to 350F and prepare a 9 X 13 cake pan by coating it with vegetable cooking spray. Or you can also do the more traditional coating of shortening followed by a thin coating of flour.
- Place chickpeas in your food processor along with the water and oil. Pulse for a few seconds to mix things up a bit. Use a spatula to scrape sides of the bowl and pulse again until everything is well blended. This can take up to a minute to get the mixture nice and smooth.
- Next pour the contents of the strawberry cake mix in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients. Get out your mixer and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake according to the cake box instructions, typically 35 – 40 minutes. You can always do the the little toothpick test to see if the cake is done before removing it. Although, I’ll be honest, I usually use a thin piece of spaghetti instead.
- When it’s done, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.
- You can make your own Strawberry Frosting, or use the dairy-free variety. Cover with sprinkles and enjoy.
This recipe is easy, vegan, delicious, healthier than the typical cake, and not so hard on the wallet. That’s a great list, but you know what else I love about it? I get to add it to my list of 100 Things to do with Chickpeas! Ahh, life is good!
Beautiful!! YUM!
April 20, 2012
12:35 pm
That is definitely pretty in pink Marly!
April 20, 2012
2:19 pm
Made this today for a lunch with family, came out PERFECT!!! I used a bundt pan and embellished the outside with chocolate covered strawberries. It was a hit! Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
May 6, 2012
6:02 pm
You just made my day!!! Chocolate covered strawberries? Oh yeah!
May 9, 2012
8:35 pm
I made this for my little sister this weekend when she came to celebrate her college graduation. We hadn’t had strawberry cake since we were kids and had no idea that many cake mixes are vegan! It came out delicious and she loved it. Thank you!
May 23, 2012
1:01 pm
So glad to hear this dessert added to your family gathering. It’s true that being a vegan can sometimes be easy, delicious, and not so hard on the wallet either. Best wishes to you and your sister!!
May 31, 2012
8:07 am
Just made this recipe for my kids today–it was awesome!! I made cupcakes instead of a cake, and it made 2 dozen. I also used 1/3 cup applesauce instead of the oil. Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing
May 27, 2012
6:40 pm
Oh, you just made my day! Love the idea of using applesauce instead of the oil. And cupcakes? Yumm!
May 31, 2012
8:04 am
Hi. Looks great. Did you ever try this w/ chocolate cake mix?
June 4, 2012
6:42 pm
Oh, you just planted the seed of a great idea. I haven’t, but it is HIGH on my list to do next. I’ll let you know when the post is up!
June 7, 2012
8:22 pm