Correlation is Not Causation: Spelt-less Olive Oil Cake

Dear ones,

Gee, we need to open on a positive note.  I made some excellent cake and a delightful pasta pie a few days ago.  I also have not been able to get Evanescence’s “Lithium” out of my head.  Before you make me hand over my Goth card to shred it, let me just say that I only began listening to Evanescence about a month ago during Irene when I uploaded a bunch of my aunt and uncle’s compact disks to my computer.  I’d heard of Evanescence, so I figured I’d give them a shot.  This song is particularly mind-sticky.

I could be a proper student and fight through the sudden dearth of ink cartridges at cluster printers, but I’m going to call it a night soon anyway.  I’ll print the rest of my readings tomorrow.  I confess to the almighty blog that I did not do any academic work today.  Oh well.  School isn’t my life, nor should it be.  It’s only temporary…like everything.  Man, I love taking Buddhism classes because that weekly brush with the ultimate perspective is something I find extremely refreshing.  I’ll finish stapling my readings (archivists gasp, oh, the horror!  The horror!) then return with some recipes and pictures.

Regarding the title, I also wanted to correct—or amend—or report a change—from an earlier post.  I said I “don’t like to go out.”  That’s not true anymore.  I don’t like to stay up late, sure, but I do like to go out and do things.  I’m content to stay at home, but that doesn’t mean I am so rigid as to refuse to leave my dwelling place (of course, when I finally snap and become a renunciate in the woods somewhere, I’m sure my tune will change).

Few days later…

I return to composing this post.  Composting.  Wish we could do that here, us independent students.  Now I have Rammstein’s “Pussy” stuck in my head, especially the line, “I can’t get laid in Germany!”  No reason that it’s stuck in my head, just that it’s a catchy song.

Alrighty, you came here for recipes, so here are some recipes. 

Thank my dear brother for inspiring me to veganise and de-glutenise this receta.

Spelt-less Olive Oil Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate

Modified from The Amateur Gourmet. (updated by Q 01/13/2013)

3/4 cup sorghum flour

3/4 cup KAF ancient

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (1 bar; about 70 percent cacao or Green & Black’s

Maya Gold, which is no longer vegan; I used chipotle chocolate)

4 teaspoons chia seeds

3/4 cup boiling water

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup organic sugar (1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup regular sugar)

2/3 cup applesauce (I used Q-made pear puree)

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (unsweetened almond or original rice)

zest of 2 clementines or 1 orange (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a circle from waxed paper or parchment and fit it in the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.  Grease the pan again.  Alternatively, line a 9*13-inch pan with parchment and grease the parchment.

In a small measuring cup, mix the flax and water and set aside.

Process the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor until some of it is powdery and the rest of it is in chunks smaller than mini chocolate chips (GF batter does not support large chunks).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chocolate.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the oil, applesauce, sugar, non-dairy milk, and flaxseed mixture.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Bake for about 40-45 (35-40 for 9*13-inch) minutes or until the top is golden brown, it passes the toothpick test, the center is not wet and springs back when touched, it has begun to crack a little, and the edge has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool on a rack in the pan until the cake is completely cool.  Seriously, leave it in the pan until it is completely cool; it’ll be fine.  Store it in the fridge covered in plastic.  It may fall a little when it is out of the pan and that is okeydokey.

With the 9*13-inch option, cool it in the pan for five minutes then remove it by the parchment flags and let cool on a rack for another five minutes before slicing. 

And devouring.