Banana-fana-fo-fana! Vegan Friendly Dessert

While I am not a vegan, I am always looking for healthy ways to make desserts, and vegan recipes are often great for this purpose. Having extremely picky people for whom to cook makes sneaky nutrition necessary, at times. Not to mention, I do try to respect the beliefs of others, and having some vegan-friendly foods is just a good idea when I want to entertain. However, I do have a limited budget, so I did some research (relying heavily on PETA) and found just what I needed in a fairly inexpensive way with what I could find at the local grocery store: a quick and easy vegan-friendly chocolate cake.

First, I did some research on-line, and I found that Duncan Hines cake mixes are dairy free, and once can simply replace the eggs with bananas, applesauce or pumpkin puree. I have, in the past, made the cake with the pumpkin puree as egg replacement, but I have to admit that I used Cool Whip for a topping, and unfortunately, Cool Whip contains egg whites. I did some more research, and after discovering I would either have to order and wait for some similar items or go spend more money than I could afford at one of our local health food stores, I found a list that stated Duncan Hines also has some icings that are egg and dairy-free. So, to Wal-Mart, I went.

I picked up the Duncan Hines devils food cake mix, the Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Frosting (Chocolate), some safflower oil (since it is good for many things and not from animals), and a healthy bunch of bananas, after discovering there was no pumpkin of any kind to be found. (I later found out that there is a shortage of canned pumpkin at this time.) Gleeful with the prospect of so sneakily getting my family and the extra kids I had spending the night to eat this cake that would be at least a little better for them, I went home and got to work.

After preheating the oven to 350 degrees, as directed, I began by peeling 3 bananas, since the recipe calls for three eggs. I mashed them into a bowl, dumped in the mix, added the 1/2 cup of safflower oil (in lieu of vegetable oil), and started mixing. I added the 1 1/3 cups of water while mixing with my handy little mixer. Mixing was not as easy with the bananas, but once all the water was added, everything blended smoothly.

I took a cloth and a dollop of the safflower oil and greased my 9 x 13 inch pan, then I poured the batter into it. It poured very smoothly. I put the cake into the oven and set the timer for the recommended time on the box, thirty-five minutes. When the timer went off, I stuck the fork into the cake, and it did not come out clean, so I put it back in for another five minutes, but it really needed about five more after that. All together, it was about forty-five minutes for the cake to be finished.

Now, I am strange, but I hate icing. To me, it seems like overkill, but others love it, so I try to accommodate. I took the chocolate icing by Duncan Hines, heated it in the microwave for forty-five seconds, and poured it onto the still hot cake, to make a gooey-chocolaty mess for the picky masses. Unlike with the pumpkin puree, they knew something was different about this one, but they loved it, and it was gone in no time. There were 9 people. My husband was not as much of a fan as the eight picky kids, but eight out of nine is not bad, and kids liking something with nutrition? HOORAY!

Now that you have read the story, here are the instructions:

Ingredients:
Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix (Devils Food)
Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Chocolate Frosting
Three bananas (to replace the eggs called for in the instructions)
Vegetable Oil (or vegan-friendly oil of your choice)

1) Preheat oven according to box instructions regarding type of pan..
In large bowl, mash bananas.
2) Add cake mix and oil (1/2 cup according to box instructions)
3) Start mixing, and add water. (You can probably just dump it all in and mix, but this worked well for me.)
4) Oil pan.
5) The box instructions recommend flouring lightly, but I do not find this necessary, so I do not do it.
6) Follow instructions for bake time based on box instructions for type of pan or cupcakes, but I had to add time to finish the cake..
7) Box instructions recommend 15 minutes to cool before frosting, but I have my own method, as described above. 8) Melt the icing and pour it on while the cake is hot, so you have a gooey chocolate mess.

I hope this recipe is one that you will try and enjoy. Who says nutrition cannot taste good?

Sources:

Personal experience.
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-Baking.asp?Category=Baking
http://www.geari.org/vegan-products-conventional-grocery-stores.html
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:yp-SZ0Xh9DwJ:www.vegfamily.com/lists/vegan-food-list.doc+duncan+hines+devils+food+cake+vegan&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
http://duncanhines.com/