Well I tested out a chocolate vegan cake because I need to make dairy free/vegan cupcakes. I just tested one and while they look beautiful with a nice dome, etc they were a little gummy as I chewed them. Other than that, the flavor was great. Here is the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegan-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx

This is the first time I've tried making vegan anything. Are these type of recipes normally gummy? I thought the texture was just a little weird.

I've never made anything vegan, but having watched a vegan baker win on Cupcake Wars I'm willing to try it. They loved all her cupcakes. Two of them are on her website (along with tons of other recipes) http://www.chefchloe.com/blog.html?start=5. Here's a link to the article talking about them http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/tasty-vegan-food-cupcakes-show-it-can-be-done/?emc=eta1