I made this cake on a whim, I do that now. I do not plan things days out if I don't have to. This cake was a whim. I set a couple coffee dates with new companies on a whim. We went to see a concert on a whim. I made this cake on a whim and then read a book for three hours on a whim.
I don't operate always on free will. Sometimes I think that I am dictated by the to-do lists that I keep, chicken-scratched and coffee-stained on a legal pad in my office. I write small reminders on it - take out the trash, do the dishes, mail your letters. And for larger things, I totally forget about--keep learning French, exercise more, remember to be grateful.
And with 3 extra hours of daylight, I baked a cake, let it cool, and iced it. I ate a slice, leaned over the sink as the crumbs fell, and stood watching the yard flood in the rain. It was not a perfect day, but it was a perfect moment all the same.
Chocolate Snack Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup AP flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 TB unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or even tahini!)
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/3 cup boiling water or very hot coffee (I did coffee here)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F and grease a 10x7" brownie pan with butter and parchment (can also use an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan)
- Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder in a bowl
- In a stand mixer, cream together sugars and butter until light
- Add eggs, one at a time
- Add vanilla and oil
- Alternate between wet ingredients (half and half first, then water) and your dry mixture
- Finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula
- Bake for 50-55 minutes and allow to cool completely before icing (see below for directions)
Decorating Directions: I have too many eggs and too much confectioners' sugar, so I actually did a royal icing for this cake. It wasn't too sweet, as it played off the deep tones of the coffee and chocolate. My ratio for royal icing is 3 cups sugar for 2 egg whites, with just a *hint* of vanilla or even orange blossom water (any more and it will make the mixture runny). Just mix with a fork until thick ribbons fall off the tines and smooth out onto cake. This is topped with Supernatural Starfetti Sprinkles.
