Chocolate Cake Nirvana

Since my husband recently outed me on his blog, I figure I’d share the recipe I was so fortunate to stumble upon. Decide for yourself. You’d hide it, too.

Its excellent qualities: silly simple to make, perfect size recipe such that you wouldn’t be too embarrassed to eat it all yourself, and it tastes incredible. Recent guests went back for seconds (those with no shame, thirds). I think it gets better as it ages.

Many thanks to the talented Regan Daley, author of In The Sweet Kitchen, for passing on her mom’s recipe.

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All-in-the-pan Chewy Chocolate Cake with Butter Icing

CAKE:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli or Hershey’s (sift out any choco clods)

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

6 T. flavorless vegetable oil, such as canola

1 T. white vinegar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup cool water

ICING:

¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temp. (I used salted; it was juuuuust fine.)

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 to 3 T. milk or water

1 ½ T. natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

(Abbreviated instructions; extra details available if anyone wants them.)

Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour into ungreased 8×8″ pan  (or 9×9″ – reduce baking time 5 to 7 min). Whisk rest of dry ingredients together then combine with flour in pan. With back of a teaspoon, make three wells in the flour mixture: one small, medium, large. (I know; what??) Pour oil in large, vinegar in medium and vanilla in small. Pour water over all of it and mix with fork, making sure you get all the dry stuff out of the corners. Don’t beat – just mix until lumps smoothed out and no overly dry or runny patches are left.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer stuck in middle comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Icing: Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until butter is distributed (will be very dry and powdery). Add 1 T. milk or water, then sift cocoa over top and cream to blend. Add vanilla, then remaining cup of sugar. Add as much of remaining liquid necessary to make a thick, creamy icing.

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And by the way, I was hiding it in the cupboard because he really was trying to avoid sweets. I didn’t want to leave it staring at him on the countertop. I thought it was downright compassionate.

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