Vegan Red Velvet Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

//RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
::Red Velvet Cake:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup cocoa powder
-2 cups sugar (I use coconut sugar)
-1 cup vegetable oil (if using coconut oil, melt first)
-1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
-2 teaspoons vinegar
-1 tsp red gel food coloring (Wilton brand is vegan-friendly)
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

::VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
-1 (8 oz) tub vegan cream cheese, softened at room temp
-1/4 cup vegan butter, softened at room temp
-3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-pinch of salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9″ round baking pans or one 9×13″ pan.
2) Combine plant milk with vinegar and allow to sit for 5 minutes to make a vegan buttermilk substitute.
3) In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Separately, mix together oil, “buttermilk,” vanilla, and food coloring. Use more food coloring than you think you need; the red will darken while baking and turn out less vibrant than the batter.
4) Add wet to dry mixture and stir until just combined.
5) Pour mixture into baking tray(s). Bake in the middle rack for 30-35 minutes, or for 18-23 minutes for cupcakes. Cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in baking pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.
6)With a hand blender or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract. Add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sugar to desired level of sweetness.

Notes:
**If using coconut oil, the batter will seem very thick and gloopy. You may need to use the back of your spatula to spread it evenly in your pan. Don’t worry; this is just the coconut oil getting harder when combined with other ingredients. It won’t compromise the texture of the finished cake.
**I tested this cake recipe with and without flax eggs; both came out well. If you would like to add some extra fiber to the cake, add 2 tablespoons flaxseed soaked in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. It will make the finished cake slightly more dense and moist.
**To make this cake slightly healthier, you may substitute in applesauce for half of the oil.
**Depending on the brand of vegan cream cheese you use, the frosting will be more or less solid at room temp. Typically I make this with Tofutti and the frosting stays quite wet, so this is not the ideal texture if you want to pipe out designs.

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