Chocolate Cake - Egg/Nut/Dairy Free

I invited 18 boys to my son's birthday party this year. Is that crazy? I got RSVP's from 16 of them. Two never bothered to respond. One advised they were unable to make it. So we have a party of 15, plus my son - so that 16 boys...and they are all 2nd and 3rd graders.

I got notes from two parents regarding allergies, and would it be okay if they brought something special for their child so they didn't miss out on anything. I knew going into this that there were allergies, and I was thankful that the parents who's kids had them advised me. I am dealing with peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs. I thought to myself - this must be a regular occurance for these poor kids. Nobody bothers to cater to the needs of all the kids, they just exclude the ones with allergies - hence the parents asking if they could bring something for their own child.

The hunt began. It ended very quickly as well because I found THIS recipe.

Egg-Free Dairy-Free Nut-Free Cake

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Egg-Free-Dairy-Free-Nut-Free-Cake/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2.In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix well with a fork, then stir in oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. When dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened, pour in cold water and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

So I made this cake tonight for my son's party tomorrow. We are also serving fruit, cheese, crackers, and kielbasa - as well as some kool aid drink boxes, Chubby soda's (they are neat one cup servings of soda in small containers great for kids), and big bottles of water.

The cake turned out FANTASTIC!! It is very dense, but the flavour is really good. I know I'm supposed to be eating on plan, but I scored the cake to make sure the tops were even for when I frost it tomorrow, and I couldn't resist taking a bite. It was DELICIOUS! My husband thought it was really good as well.

So - if you're in need of a good allergy friendly cake - look no further, here it is :o)

If I get the chance after I ice it I'll take a picture to post later.