Vegan Chocolate Cake Challenge!

I can't find apple cider vinegar or a specific plant-based milk—what can I substitute?

Substitute the 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and replace the 1 cup plant-based milk with any soy, oat, or almond milk called for in the wet ingredients.

My cake turned out dense or stuck to the pan—what might have gone wrong and how do I fix it?

Make sure you thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients, grease the 8-inch cake pan and press parchment into the bottom as instructed, stir the batter only until mostly lump-free to avoid overmixing, and bake the 25 to 30 minutes checking doneness with a toothpick.

How can I adapt the steps for different age groups?

Have preschoolers press the parchment, sprinkle decorations, and help stir dry ingredients while an adult handles preheating and oven work, let school-age kids measure and combine wet and dry ingredients and pour into the greased pan, and allow teens to manage all steps including baking and decorating with minimal supervision.

How can we enhance or personalize the cake beyond the basic decorations?

After the cake cools you can split it to add jam or vegan frosting between layers, fold about 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter before pouring into the prepared pan, or dust powdered sugar and top with fresh berries and extra sprinkles to personalize the finished cake.