Can you believe it? We are exactly two months away from the release of our first cookbook! On Tuesday, March 12, the Husbands That Cook book will be available everywhere, and today we’re throwing a party. We’re excited to announce that EVERYONE who preorders the book will receive two brand new, never-before-seen Husbands That Cook recipes that don’t appear in the book or on the blog! To receive this bonus gift, simply email a screenshot of your proof of purchase to us at husbandsthatcook at gmail dot com, and we will send you an exclusive ebook as a personal thank you! This promotion is open to everyone no matter where you live, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been cooking up behind the scenes!

Oh, and there’s more…

If you make any of the recipes that we’ve previewed from the book so far: this Vegan Chocolate Puddle Cake, Toasted Hazelnut Fudge, the Spring Tarts with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese, or the Summer Caprese with Grilled Peaches—simply post a photo on social media, tag @husbandsthatcook and #husbandsthatcookbook, and we will send you a personally signed bookplate that you can affix to the inside cover of your book! 

Okay, now let’s talk about this glorious dessert. 

Every proper celebration must include cake, and this one is a celebration in itself. It is the easiest cake in the world to prepare—and in fact, Ryan has been making it since he was just five years old, after learning the basic recipe in his first cooking class. This one-bowl dessert is rich, intensely chocolatey, and just so happens to be vegan. Rather than using butter or eggs, it gets its rise from a fizzy mixture of vinegar and baking soda, keeping the cake spectacularly soft and oh-so-moist. Trust us, no one will ever guess that this is dairy-free. It’s our go-to recipe to bake for birthday celebrations, to bring to parties, or anytime we need some chocolate cake in our lives, and we just had to include it in the Dessert chapter in our book. Also, join us today at 12pm PST on Instagram as we make this deliciously decadent cake LIVE from our kitchen. 

Also, to our Southern California friends: Our first official book signing party will be at the Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 9th at 2pm! Click here for the details! We’ll be telling stories about the cookbook, taking questions from the audience, signing some books, bringing homemade treats for you to sample, and we would love to meet you! Stay tuned because we have more spring tour dates that we will be announcing in the coming weeks. See you soon and happy baking! xoxo Adam and Ryan

Vegan Chocolate Puddle Cake
From Husbands That Cook: More Than 120 Irresistible Vegetarian Recipes and Tales from Our Tiny Kitchen, St. Martin’s Press 2019
Makes 1 single-layer, 8- or 9-inch cake
Serves 8 to 10

For the Cake
1 tablespoon vegan butter, to grease the pan
1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (27 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (237 ml) water

For the Frosting
5 tablespoons (27 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups (142 g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk of your choice, if needed to thin
vegan rainbow sprinkles, for garnish, if desired

To Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with vegan butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment, and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and whisk until evenly mixed. Add the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water, and stir just until blended to avoid overmixing. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs sticking to it, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper, and let cool completely.

To Make the Frosting
In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa and powdered sugar to remove any lumps. In a large mixing bowl, blend the vegan butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa mixture to the bowl with the butter, then add the vanilla, and blend on medium-high speed until creamy. If the frosting seems too thick, add milk 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time and blend until smooth and spreadable.

To Serve
Once the cake has cooled completely, place it on a serving plate. Frost the top (and sides, if desired) evenly with the frosting, and garnish with rainbow sprinkles. Enjoy!

note:
— The cake will stay fresh in a covered container at room temperature for a day or up to 3 days in the fridge. If refrigerating, allow the cake to warm to room temperature before serving.
— The cake can be baked in either an 8- or 9-inch cake pan. An 8-inch cake will be slightly taller and will take up to 5 minutes longer to bake than a 9-inch cake.
— To make a 6-inch cake that serves 6 to 8, simply halve the recipe for both the cake and frosting.
— There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder available in stores: natural and dutch processed. Natural cocoa has a reddish-brown color and an intense bittersweet chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa is much darker in color, resulting in baked goods that appear almost black (as pictured here), with a slightly less bitter flavor, similar to an oreo cookie. For this recipe, either type works, so use whichever you prefer.