chocolate poundcake, version II

I came up with a chocolate poundcake last year, but now that strawberries are in season again I wanted to see if I could improve on it. This is less crumbly and is, I believe, an improvement.



In a bowl, stir together
1 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a small pot over low heat, mix together
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup okara
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup soy milk
and stir until chocolate is completely melted and ingredients are well incorporated. Remove from heat and whisk in
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon white rice vinegar

Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Immediately pour batter into an oiled 9"x5" bread pan and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool for about 20 minutes.

NB: As you probably know, vinegar has a chemical reaction with baking soda to produce gas, which gets trapped in the batter as air bubbles. This is why it's essential to get the cake in the oven right away, before the batter goes flat.



Run knife around edges of cake and invert onto a cutting board.



Cut off a slice and garnish as desired. Fresh fruit, chocolate syrup, (nondairy) ice cream, whatever strikes your fancy!



Verdict: I liked this a lot, although it could stand to be more chocolately. Next time I might try decreasing the sugar and increasing the semi-sweet chocolate. I might also try apple cider vinegar instead of white rice vinegar. But all in all, it held together quite nicely and was an excellent accompaniment to the delicious strawberries that are currently in season.