Suz, For you - Because I Am a Sharer

From the recipe files of "good lord! how did her thighs end up like that!"

Chocolate Cake

 1 1/2 cups AP Flour

1 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Cocoa

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

 Mix these ingredients together in a large bowl or even the 8" pan that you will be cooking in - (really, it is that easy.)

Combine together the following

1/2 cup melted Butter (I have used oil and it works just fine)

1 tbsp White Vinegar 

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Instant Coffee (this is optional but it does add a deeper chocolate flavor somehow)

1 cup Hot Water

Pour this into the dry mixture and with a fork or a whisk (or any manual utensil) mix everything together

You will initially get some bubbling up like the volcanos your kids made in science class.
This will go away.

Keep stirring until everything is well blended.

If you haven't mixed it in an 8" pan pour the batter into that now.  

No need to butter or flour the pan.

Bake in a preheated 350 deg oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.  

Cool before diving in. Sometimes I put icing on this and sometimes we just eat as is. 

I use this recipe to make 12 cupcakes (350 - 25 min)  that the boys have been known to sell to the highest bidder during lunch hour at school.  

If you want to make the atrocity that I sent with Son #1 on Friday, double the recipe and use two 8" springform pans, cut each cake in half when cool.  Fill with the chocolate mousse that is used in Black Forest Cake recipes, drizzle ganache and pretty it up with cream cheese filled strawberries.

Chocolate Mousse Filling
Whip one cup whipping cream and 2 tbsp sugar to stiff peaks and set aside.
Combine 3 oz. semi sweet chocolate and 2 tbsp amaretto (optional) and melt.  I use a microwave on power 5.  When melted whisk in 1 well beaten egg.  When this is well blended fold into the whipped cream and set this sit in the fridge for at least two hours before using as a cake filling.
Sometimes when you layer cakes on something this soft and delicate the weight compresses the filling and the cake tips and slides to the floor and you might say a few choice words and abandon the project. (I speak from experience) so follow these steps.
Place one of the sliced cakes back into the springform pan, spread on the mousse and then top with another layer of the cake, top this layer with mousse.  This is the bottom half of the cake
Take another springform pan ring, set it on a cooling rack, place one split layer of the cake in , spread with mousse and top with the other split layer cake. No more mousse - this is the top of the cake and you will drizzle with ganache, or dust with icing sugar or chocolate icing or whatever you like.
  Put these in the fridge to cool and firm up.

Ganache
1/3 cup whipping cream
5 oz. semi sweet chocolate
Heat the cream to just below boiling.  Add the chocolate and stir till melted and creamy.

Drizzle this over the top of the cooled, assembled cake.

Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

Strawberries, ripe and juicy and as many as you like.
Cut off the tops and hollow out the core

Mix together:
1/2 pkg cream cheese (4 oz)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice

 table cream to soften (about 1/2 cup maybe less)
add a little at a time to get the right consistency

Once you have a not too soft  texture fill a disposable piping bag - no tip - and fill the hollowed out berries.  Dip the other end of the berry into melted chocolate, roll in crushed pistachios or cashews and place on the cake or just eat them like this because they are delicious!!

Run 1/2 mile, do 20 sit ups, and hope that bathing suit season doesn't come!


Side Note:   it took long to type out these recipes than it does to make the cake.