Ingredients:

• The Flour: The standard is 16 (3 2/3 cup) oz flour. For chocolate 14 oz (3 1/4 cup) flour + 2 oz (1/4 cup) cocoa powder. For other flours you'd like to experiment with simply replace two ounces of flour with an alternative of your choice. Remember the other flours bake and absorb liquid differently than all purpose so you may end up with a cake that is looser or more crumbly. You should maintain 16 ounces total or else your cake will be too wet, more than that and your cake will be too gummy or dry.

• The salt: Just stick with 1/4 tsp to a heavy pinch.

• The leavening: not much room to change things here, just stick with 1 tbsp.

• The Additions: This is a very heavy cake batter already and will not take too kindly to any additions like chocolate chips or any other heavy addition. Best to leave this one without any.

• The spices: You can use up to 4 tsp spices. You can mix and match these however you choose, going for more spice than this will start making the flavor a little too over powering and unpleasant. Spices always go in with the dry ingredients. Make sure to keep in mind that some spices are very strong so use them sparringly, such as cardamom.

• For the egg replacer: You can change what liquid you use for the 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) just make sure it is not cold, ive used anthing from coffee to marachino cherry juice before so there is a wide range. Otherwise nothing else about this portion of the recipe can be changed. As well remember to always use a neutral tasting oil at room temperature.

• The Sugar: 16 oz (2 1/4 cup) sugar total. More sugar may be needed if the ingredients you are adding are earthy or bitter. This can be a mix of regular sugar or brown sugar. Brown sugar however will lead to a denser cake. This formula is very balanced so i would not go lower than 16 oz total.

• The Extract: Use up to 1 tbsp extract. Technically you can do more like some recipes listed but you will be making for a much more artificial tasting cake. Make sure you consider how strong an extract is, 1 tbsp of coconut extract will make your cake taste like lotion. Extract is always a wet ingredient.

• The Fruit puree: the amount should be kept at 16 oz (about 4 cups) total, however you can use any fruit you would like so long as it can be pureed. Vegetable will work as well but must be cooked prior to being pureed to be used in the cake. Boiling is a good method to do this as it will ensure your cake stays moist, such as how the carrot cake is made. You can mix and match the fruits as you like, just make sure it is room temperature and fully pureed. Also keep in mind some fruits like watermelon do not have a very strong flavor which will most likely not come through in the finished cake.
  

• The citrus zest: If used will always be a wet ingredient. I wouldn't use more than two oranges worth volume wise of the taste will be off. Think more floor cleaner than cake.

  the icing:

• the butter: you can use any vegan butter that you prefer but best to stcik with salt free for a better taste. The amount should stay at 1 cup total, any more and you are just going to need more powdered sugar to compensate. Nut butters can be used in place of regular butter but add 2 tbsps regular to the mix to help with it s spreadability. OTHERWISE ANY NUT BUTTER WILL WORK HERE. yOU CAN USE OTHER SOLID OILS HERE LIKE COCONUT OIL BUT YOU WILL GET A DENSER ICING. TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ICING SIMPLY ADD 2 OZ OF MELTED CHOCOLATE TO YOUR FROSTING RECIPE.

• THE SUGAR: NOTHING BUT POWDERED SUGAR WILL REALLY WORK FOR ICING AS IT WILL NOT DISSOLVE AS WELL AND LEAVE A GRITTY UNMIXED TEXTURE. oN TOP OF THE POWDRED SUGAR YOU CAN ADD OTHER SUGARS IN SMALL AMOUNTS FOR FLAVOR OR TEXTURE SUCH AS BROWN SUGAR. 3 CUPS IS THE STANDARD AMOUNT FOR THIS RECIPE BUT YOU CAN ADJUST THE AMOUNT TO GET A LOOSER OR DENSER TEXTURE, OR TO MAKE IT SWEETER.

• THE LIQUID: MORE LIQUID WILL MAKE FOR A LOOSE ICING SO I WOULD STAY AROUND 1-2 TBSP 3 AS THE MAXIMUM. OTHERWISE ANY LIQUID YOU WANT CAN BE USED.

• SPICES: ANY SPICE YOU CAN IMAGINE WORKS HERE BUT JUST LIKE THE IN THE BATTER YOU WANT TO AVOID ADDING TOO MUCH AS YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ICING TASTE MORE LIKE POTPOURI THAN A DESSERT TOPPING. USUALLY 2 TSP IS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ICING, BUT KEEP IN MIND SOME SPICES ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN OTHERS.

• THE EXTRACT: aNY EXTRACT CAn BE USED TYPICALLY YOU WOULD WANT TO STAY AT OR UNDER 1 TBSP, OTHERWISE THE ICING WILL TASTE TOO ARTIFICIAL. aLSO KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME EXTRACTS LIKE COCONUT OR MINT ARE VERY STRONG AND A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY.

• SYRUPS: ANY SYRUP CAN BE USED BUT WHILE MAKING THE ICING SMOOTHER WILL ALSO MAKE IT LOOSER. jUST LIKE THE LIQUID 1-2 TBSP IS BEST BUT YOU CAN GO UP TO 3.

• ADDITIONS: ADDITIONS CAN BE ADDED DIRECTLY TO THE ICING BEARING IN MIND THEY CAN REDUCE ITS ABILITY TO SPREAD. THESE SHOULD BE SMALL AND AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE SUCH AS COCONUT FLAKES OR SPRINKLES, EVEN FREEZE DRIED FRUIT AS IN THE DETH BY STRAWBERRY CAKE. oNE WAY TO GET AROUND THIS WOULD BE TO ICE YOUR CAKE FIRST THEN SPRINKLE AN ADDITION ON TOP OF IT SUCH ASH CRUSHED UP GRAHAM CRACKERS OR CANDY. IF USING THE ADDITON INSIDE THE ICING STICK TO ROUGHLY ONE CUP TOTAL OR YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SPREAD IT.