Sometimes I just get the urge to bake. Since there’s only two of us, I tend to gravitate towards muffins or cookies because they are more 2-serving friendly than something bigger like a cake. But, why shouldn’t we celebrate sometimes? With a cake on the counter, we can each have a little sweet slice every night of the week.

This is a really easy, simple cake to make. And, it has the flavors and textures from coconut, pineapple, and pecans that make it more special than a regular vanilla cake. It’s like a pina colada in a cake!

All you have to do is to mix the dry, mix the wet, combine together, bake, and frost. You don’t even need a mixer to make this cake! (the frosting is easier with a hand mixer, but it’s not necessary). This is a great cake for a birthday, a party, or just to fancy up a weeknight.

From Chef Chloe’s Vegan Italian Cookbook. Makes 2, 9″ cake rounds.

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 8oz can crushed pineapple

Frosting (Or, you could just dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar)
1 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
3-5 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
Pecans and coconut for garnish, optional

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cake rounds and line bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour liquids into the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Fold in coconut, pecans, pineapple. Don’t overmix. Pour evenly in two cake pans and place in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway through. A toothpick should come out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

To make icing, use a hand mixer to beat shortening until smooth. With mixer on low, add powdered sugar slowly, along with vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp almond milk at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Spread icing on top of one cake and top with the second cake. Spread icing on the top, and along the sides if desired. Top with coconuts and pecans as garnish (optional).

Serves 8