what's cooking wednesday: chocolate lovers' cake

A little over a month ago, P and I went to his sister's house to celebrate the Epiphany. I took my most favorite chocolate cake of all time--the one that I *always* requested from my mom for my birthday. P's sister had, coincidentally, made a chocolate cake that day too. I was shocked since most Italians do not usually have a dessert prepared, but lucky me, I had competition.

And I won.

The other day, P's sister called me and asked me to make this moist, delicious treat for her daughter's birthday party, which is today, Valentine's Day. I didn't have time to run out and get anything really special for the cake, so I worked with what I had, and this is what I came up with:


My mom had sent me those gummy hearts for Valentine's Day, so they were the perfect addition, I think.

Also, P's sister has asked me for the recipe; I haven't yet translated it into all Italian measurements and ingredients, but if any of you in Italy have questions, please feel free to email me.

Now for this week's What's Cooking Wednesday:

Mary K's Most Moistest Chocolate Cake in the World

3 cups flour
1 cup powdered baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla


2 cups hot strong coffee
2 tsp baking soda

Pay special attention to the way the ingredients are grouped as these go together.

First put the coffee on to brew.

Then sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and mix together well in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and put aside.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. The large bowl is important, because this will eventually be the home of your entire batter.

When the coffee is done, add the baking soda; it should bubble if your baking soda is working. I use a pourable measuring container for the coffee.

Now, to the egg mixture, alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures. I do all of this by hand now with a whisk, but I used to use an electric mixer. Makes no difference as far as I can tell. The batter is moderately runny, definitely not thick.

This recipe is for a 13 x 9 pan, which should be greased and floured. The cake is so moist that it *will* stick if you don't do this well.

Bake at 350° F (177° C) for 35-45 minutes. You can also make lovely cupcakes, as my mom did when I was still taking treats to school, just reduce the baking time.

When the cake springs up from your touch, it's done even if it's slightly gooey inside. It'll still cook when outside the oven.

FYI, the recipe I used for the icing can be found here, although I added a bit more milk. I should also add that I normally wouldn't even ice this cake as it makes it own nice soft, icing-like top after it sits for a while, but for the sake of the Birthday Girl, I went all out.

Buon appetito and Buon San Valentino!