Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe, from The Vegenaise Cookbook

Vegan mayo tastes just like the real thing, and I love to spread it on sandwiches, but when it comes to making other recipes out of the condiment, I'm short on inspiration. Luckily, Follow Your Heart is launching The Vegenaise Cookbook: Great Food That’s Vegan, Too, which has 100 recipes using vegan mayo in all the appetizers, side dishes, sandwiches, entrees and desserts you could dream of.

The Beet recently received a sneak peek at the Follow Your Heart Cookbook, which comes out today, July 7th, written by their very own co-founder and CEO, Bob Goldberg. This handy guide will show you how such a basic ingredient like vegan mayo can be elevated into a variety of dishes besides sriracha mayo or macaroni salad. Below are some of our favorite recipes.

Appetizers that will make your guests go plant-based

Your guests will go crazy for the crispy artichokes. It may seem like a hard recipe to perfect without eggs but Vegenaise makes it possible. Artichokes are packed with protein and fiber. One medium artichoke has about 4 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. Aiolis are a great way to add even more flavor to dishes, and these crispy artichokes are paired with a vegan lemon-pepper aioli.

Plant-based sides for your barbeque

It's barbeque season, which means macaroni and potato salads galore. The spicy southwestern potato salad recipe puts a fun twist on a classic side: If spicy foods aren't your thing, there is also a classic potato salad recipe.

Sandwiches for a quick and easy lunch

Working from home means you need quick recipes to prepare when you're in-between Zoom calls. The crispy mushroom sourdough patty melt is the sandwich to make when you want to switch up your lunch from your regular old salad. Mushrooms are a powerful immune-boosting food packed with antioxidants that can studies have shown can help prevent cancer.

Plant-based meals for every day of the week

You can never go wrong with Lasagna for dinner. Not only is it a crowd-favorite but you are always left with extras for leftovers for the next few nights. This recipe will show you step by step how to make homemade vegan ricotta using vegan mayo that has a sneaky source of protein in it, with 10 grams of protein per half a cup.

Desserts to treat yourself

Mayonnaise in a dessert recipe may seem a bit odd, but after you try these decadent desserts you won't question it again. The Blender Blackout Double Chocolate Cake will be a recipe you make on repeat, and most of the ingredients may already be in your pantry. This chocolate cake is as simple as it gets. Below is the exclusive recipe from the cookbook!

Follow Your Heart, The Vegenaise Cookbook

Blender Blackout Double Chocolate Cake

Yields One 9-inch Round Cake

Ingredients

Vegenaise and unsweetened cocoa powder for pan
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups Original Vegenaise
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup oat milk
Two 4-ounce vegan dark chocolate bars

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line the bottom of the 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Brush the inside of the pan with Vegenaise and dust with cocoa powder.
Combine the flour, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder in a blender and process until well mixed. Add 1 cup of the Vegenaise plus the vanilla and oat milk and blend until a batter forms, scraping down the sides if necessary.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. remove from the oven, let cool completely, then remove the cake from the pan.
Use a peeler to make shaved ribbons from 1/2 of one of the chocolate bars and set aside.
Break up the remaining 1 1/2 bars of chocolate and melt over a double boiler. Remove from the heat, let cool for 30 seconds then stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of Vegenaise.
Spread the melted chocolate mixture over the cooled chocolate cake. let sit for 5 minutes in the fridge. Garnish with the chocolate shavings.

Sustainable and Delicious

Follow Your Heart is one of the most sustainable dairy alternative companies in the market right now. Its products, like the cheeses, yogurts, mayo and dressings, are widely known in the plant-based world as some of the best alternatives out there. Follow Your Heart's recent release of Vegan Feta Cheese has everyone gushing over the vegan brand. The cookbook is set to be released on July 7th and is available on Amazon, Target as well as Barnes and Noble. Your cooking is about to get a lot more creative and delicious with this cookbook.