Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Chip Strawberry Cake

What mama doesn’t love the flavor combination of strawberries and chocolate? One of my favorite little treats are Chocolate Dipped Strawberries; true perfection. I wanted to capture that same magic in a yummy little cake that can be served any time of the day. In fact, I plan to serve this at my own Mother’s Day brunch (in between soccer and baseball games of course!). What I love most about this cake is that it is very simple to pull together, 10 minutes or less. It has a beautiful and rustic look that can be finished with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or with a scoop of soy ice cream.

I wish all you food allergy mama’s everywhere a blessed and beautiful Mother’s Day with your families! Happy Baking, and remember to take the day off tomorrow!

DAIRY, EGG AND NUT FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP STRAWBERRY CAKE

• 1/2 c. dairy free margarine (I use Fleischman’s)
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar (plus 1T. for sprinkling)
• 1 T. water
• 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 c. soy or rice milk
• 1  1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips (I use Divvies or Enjoy Life)
• 2 1/2 c. hulled and halved strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously spray a glass pyrex 9-inch pie dish with dairy free baking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dairy free margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla and combine thoroughly. In a medium seperate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk. Add flour mixture to the margarine mixture, alternating with the soy milk. Combine thoroughly but don’t overmix. Stir in dairy free chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared glass dish.

Arrange strawberries on top of cake, cut side down, close together. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. granulated sugar. Bake 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.