| Dry Ingredients |
|---|
| Flour |
2 cups |
| Brown sugar |
1 cup (packed) |
| Dark cocoa |
2 tbsp (Hershey's Special Dark) |
| Cocoa (regular) |
2 tbsp |
| Baking powder |
1 tbsp |
| Liquid Ingredients |
| Milk |
2 cups (see note 1 in instructions) |
| Vegetable oil |
1/4 cup |
| Eggs |
2 |
| Nut extract |
4 tsp (Almond or Hazelnut extract) |
| Vanilla |
1 tsp |
| Other Ingredients |
| Chopped nuts |
1 cup (see note 2 in the instructions) |
Stir/mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix Liquid
ingredients in a smaller bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Coat 9' X 13" (Size not critical, anything close should be fine)
with vegetable oil, butter or cooking spray. Stir nuts into dry
ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients, mix
quickly but thoroughly with a large spatula, pour into baking
pan and instantly place in preheated oven. Baking time is
25 to 30 minutes.
Note 1: The amount of milk used in this recipe is very much
dependent on the type of flour used. For example, when I make
this recipe gluten free, using brown rice and garbanzo bean
flours, I reduce the milk by a quarter of a cup. Spelt flour
is very absorbant and always seems to soak up all the liquid
ingredients and want more so I start with two cups of milk but
if the batter seems too thick when I mix it I quickly add
another quarter cup of milk.
Note 2: I like to use chopped, raw pecans but any sort of raw
or roasted nuts (salted or unsalted), sunflower seeds or
pumpkin seeds would be fine. You can also substitute dry
breakfast cereal, rolled oats or any sort of cooked whole grain.
Variations/Substitutes:
Replace baking powder with two teaspoons of baking soda and
one teaspoon of Citric acid crystals for cornstarch-free.
Replace wheat flour with equal parts Rice and Garbanzo bean
flour for gluten-free.
Replace sugar with one cup of Xylitol or 24 packets of Stevia
for sugar-free.
Replace cow's milk with fruit juice, goat, soy or other milk.
Replace vegetable oil with melted vegetable shortening, butter
or lard.
Use your favorite egg substitute. If you need help with egg
substitutes check with
www.egglesscooking.com (in this
recipe, eggs are mainly used as a binder).
Add up to a cup of chopped, dried fruit.
Granola cake (variation): Add an extra half cup of milk (or more as needed), increase vegetable oil to 1/3 cup, eggs to 3 and add 2 cups of rolled Oats or Barley (as additional ingredients, not substitutes) to the dry ingredients.