“Let’s face it, a good, creamy chocolate cake does a lot for people; it does for me.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
Every now and then life takes it’s own course of destiny, and you are pretty much forced to return to the basics. And when that happens, the only option is to stand straight, chin held high and face the world with open arms, ready to conquer! We all make mistakes, and we have to be mature enough to face the consequences. Having said that, the word regret should never exist – regret is an evil force that can dangerously affect your course.
Everything happens for a reason, just have a little faith in yourself, in the people around you and on the higher forces above you.
Life won’t stop or wait for you to get up, but that doesn’t mean you are not entitled to a breather, a lazy morning, an indulgent meal and most importantly, a slice of decadent chocolate cake.
My personality is one of being constantly positive, looking at a glass half full and finding a moment to laugh during the direst moments. (I can be pretty frustrating to be around at times.) But I do have my down moments, and nothing can cheer me up better than a sinful slice of chocolate cake; none of the fake boxed ones, but a made-from-scratch, fudgy, REAL chocolate cake.
This recipe is not mine, but from Jennifer Pallian’s food blog, and it’s the only one that makes sense on a dreary afternoon.
(I have been terribly guilty of sitting with an entire cake and fork on my bed, to watch back-to-back episodes of The Royals.)
This recipe is a non-fussy and ridiculously easy one. The steps are almost therapeutic, as you do not need to use your brains at all. Perhaps, the hardest part is waiting for the cakes to cool down to frost. The quantity is perfect for two layers, sandwiched between a rich chocolate icing. I use buttercream frosting, but you are welcome to use royal icing, or a glaze flavoured with hazelnut liqueur. The frosting is simple and complements the cake with the perfect amount of sweetness.
Recipe adapted from: http://foodess.com/recipes/moist-chocolate-cake/
The Recipe
Serves Yields: Two 9” layers | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup hot coffee
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil + 2 tbsp flour for cake tin
- Frosting:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ cup butter, soft
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3-4 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and flour the cake tins.
- Sift the dry ingredients together.
- Then whisk in the eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla.
- Beat until you achieve a smooth consistency, which should take about 3 minutes.
- Then stir in the hot coffee with a rubber spatula. The batter will be quite liquid.
- Divide the batter into two equal sized cake tins.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- When you remove the pans from the oven, let the cakes cool within it’s pan for 15 minutes.
- Take out the cakes and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Frosting:
- While the cakes are cooling, you can whisk the frosting ingredients together, until desired consistency.
- When the cakes have cooled, spread the half the frosting on top of the base layer with a spatula.
- Smoothen the top with the spatula dipped in cold water.
- Place the second layer of cake on top, and spread the remaining frosting on top and sides.
