sweet birthday cake (and a GIVEAWAY)

 Last week I promised to share the birthday cake recipe my daughter and I figured out one day - drawing on what has worked well for us in the past, and trying new things (like height and layering without too much frosting).

Oh, and that beautiful new cake topper from imaginationkids made it even more special.

It was moist, rich and very delicious. And is has apple sauce in it. And coconut oil. And far less sugar in it than one would have thought. So it's a keeper.

chocolate birthday cake

1.5 cups of flour (I used whole spelt)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup of sugar
1 egg (can omit this for a vegan recipe)
5 tbsp coconut oil
just less than 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and a few tsp of applesauce (you can also use water for a vegan recipe)

Mix the dry together, and the wet ingredients separately. Add the wet to the dry and then add 1/4-1/2 cup of chocolate chips and/or raisins.

Pour into a 9 x 9" inch pan, at least 2" deep and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I cut the cake in half, and, when it was cool, made a little icing to layer between and on top.

I used some icing sugar, water, 1 melted square of bitter chocolate, and a few tbsp of organic pomegranate jam.

And to top off an already sweet post, I have a beautiful brand new organic kids' shirt (size 6T) from barley&birch to give away.  All of their fabulous kids' gear is made with organic cotton and water-based inks.

One winner chosen at random next Monday evening will receive this monkey organic shirt! To enter, please leave a comment below (one comment per person please). You must be a follower to be entered to win. Bonne chance!