chocolate cake with blueberry pomegranate filling

we made this cake for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, but it’d be great for any holiday party. a chocolate cake is pretty average in the “baked goods” realm, as well as very rich, but the fruit makes it light and interesting. try it with a glass of red wine, it’s perfect after a big dinner!

the cake:

• mix together 1 cup almond milk, 3/4 cup turbinado sugar, 1/3 cup canola oil, and 3 tsp red wine
• into the liquid bowl, sift in 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt
• stir until smooth, then split the batter evenly into two greased 9” circular pans and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

the filling:

• take out the seeds of one pomegranate and place them in a plastic bag. smash them with something heavy until the hard seeds and the juice are separated. poke a few small holes into the bag and let the juice pour into a saucepan. (when smashing the seeds, make sure not to rip the bag. i used an extra bag on the outside.)
• do the same with two small cartons (3-4 cups) of blueberries. throw out any bad berries, and put the rest in a plastic bag. smash them up until all of the berries are broken. add them to the saucepan.
• stir in 2 tbsp corn starch, or your favorite thickener.
• heat on medium low while your cake is baking, stirring occasionally. 

put it all together; spread it thick between the two cakes and drizzle on top. garnish with fresh blueberries and a dusting of organic powdered sugar. this feeds about 10 people. serve hot and on the same day as baked. enjoy!