GETTING READY:

1.Preheat oven to 375F if using a shiny metal pan; 350F if using glass or dark metal pan.

MAKING:

2.Grease an 8x8 square pan and put some parchment paper on the bottom if you have it (if you dont, then plan on serving the cake directly out of the pan).

3.Sift the dry ingredients together.

4.Whisk the wet ingredients together.

5.Add the wet to the dry and mix well.

6.Pour into the pan and bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centar comes out clean. Easy peasy.

7.Let it cool at least 30 minutes before icing.

8.To remove it if you have lined the pan with paper, run the blade of a butter knife around the edges to loosen it, then invert your serving platter over the top and, holding the pan tightly to the platter, flip the whole mess upside down and cross your fingers that it all stays together.

9.Lift the pan off to reveal a perfectly centered, perfectly baked, vegan chocolate cake, ready for icing. (If you didnt line the pan, just ice and serve it in the pan.)

FOR THE GLAZE:

1.Combine everything in a bowl. Mix it up good. Pour it over your cake. Decorate with clementine segments

2.To make the Non-Vegan ganache: Heat the cream in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until very hot.

3.Add the chocolate and stir until its all melted. Keep stirring until uniform in color.

4.Pour over the cake. Mmm. If you want more of this for any reason, just double the amount.

SERVING:

5.Serve and enjoy.

NOTES:

1.If you are vegan, you probably already know about this, but in all fairness, I should mention that some brands of sugar are not vegan because they are whitened with bone char. (That might seem gross even to non-vegans.) Other brands use carbon or something else, non-animal. Turbinado or raw sugar isnt bleached at all so any brand should be vegan-friendly. If in doubt, you could substitute turbinado in the cake recipe.

2.Cocoa can be found in both its natural state and whats called Dutch process state. Natural cocoa is acidic. The processed cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent to neutralize the acids in it. Its got a softer flavor than natural cocoa. I always use natural cocoa in my baking. If you were to try to swap one out for the other, beware. The acids in the natural cocoa are what react with the baking soda and make the cake rise. Neutral or alkaline Dutch processed cocoa will not react properly and youll end up with a flat cake.