Cake
• Unbleached All-Purpose Flour | --- | 1 1/2 Cups (180g)
• Granulated sugar | --- | 1 Cup (198g)
• Unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural | --- | 1/4 Cup (21g)
• Table salt | --- | 1/2 Teaspoon
• Espresso powder (optional) | --- | 1/2 Teaspoon
• Baking soda | --- | 1 Teaspoon
• Pure Vanilla Extract | --- | 1 Teaspoon
• Cider vinegar or white vinegar | --- | 1 Tablespoon (14g)
• Vegetable oil | --- | 1/3 Cup (67g)
• Water, cold | --- | 1 Cup (227g)

Icing
• Semisweet chocolate chips | --- | 1 1/2 Cups (255g)
• Half-and-half | --- | 1/2 Cup (113g)

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan that's at least 2" deep.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
4. Serve the cake right from the pan; warm from the oven, it's wonderful with a big glass of milk.

5. Or, once cool, frost the cake with this simple chocolate frosting: Heat the chocolate chips with the half-and-half until the chips melt. Stir until smooth, and pour/spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold brewed coffee (or water) for the half-and-half.
6. Store cake, well covered, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

1. While the original, non-dairy version of this recipe calls for water as the liquid, feel free to substitute milk, for a slightly richer cake. Or try cold coffee, for a mocha version; or even 3/4 cup water mixed with 1/4 cup rum, for an "adults only" cake!
2. Want to try the traditional method for mixing up this cake? Measure all the dry ingredients into the prepared pan. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations. Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third. Take the cup of water and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until well blended. Finish and bake as directed.
3. To make a small layer cake or two smaller single layers, divide the recipe's batter between two 6" round pans. Bake as directed; there's no need to adjust the baking time.