First, the cake. It's Crazy Chocolate Cake, people! The BEST! Growing up, my mom often made this cake on snow days. In college, I made it for Mark and I on Valentine's Day (which is why I made it last week! I was nice enough not to eat it in front of him on Skype.) Once my college roommate Erica caught a whiff of this cake, she fell in love with it and made it for simply any and every occasion for the rest of the year! Oh, it's your friend's brother's birthday! Cake. It's Wednesday! Cake. You finished your grad school applications! Cake. You got a B on a test! Cake. Though I must say, the cake I made last week was one of my best yet...
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| Thank you to my Mark for these lovely flowers! |
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| No icing necessary... we've got a sugar and chocolate crust. |
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| Love! |
Recipe: Crazy Chocolate Cake
1. Mix these in a bowl:
- 3 cups flour (Last time I used 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white... and then laughed at myself for trying to make a chocolate cake healthier.)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (Hershey's makes a dark cocoa powder that has a really deep, yummy flavor!)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 3/4 cup oil (I use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. This is a worthy substitute! You can save quite a bit of fat and keep the moisture here.)
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips (This last time I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. Do it!)
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I could probably eat this cake exclusively to satisfy any chocolate craving... but I did try a brand-new chocolate treat in honor of a friend's birthday and girls' night! (Thanks Kelly W. for being born!) Chocolate Ganache Truffles... you can find the recipe here, courtesy of Vegetarian Times. They were surprisingly easy to make (no double-boiling anything!) and were QUITE the hit with the girls. But really, if you doubt their deliciousness, just look at the list of ingredients. I am almost certain you can't fail here! *Note* I did follow the recipe closely... yes, I did use Kahlua; yes, I did use heavy cream; yes, I did use instant coffee (Starbucks Via, in fact); no, I didn't use corn syrup, I used honey instead because that's what I had.
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| How the pros captured Chocolate Ganache Truffles |
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| And... mine! |
Let me tell you, it was a real shame there were still some left over and they sat in my fridge for a few days. (OK, a day.) A realllll shame.
To end on an even sweeter note... it's no secret that dark chocolate has been shown to have plenty of nutritious health benefits, thanks to their antioxidant-rich properties! Many studies have shown a link to decreased blood pressure, decreased platelet stickiness (i.e. decreased risk of heart attack and stroke), decrease risk for diabetes, and possibly a link to decreasing cancer risk! The darker the chocolate (over 60%) the better the antioxidant punch. Check out what the Cleveland Clinic has to say, or a researcher at Penn State.
I have a feeling I don't really have to convince you to make one of these recipes. Now get yourself some chocolate!
One reason I made this on snow days, it's a recipe that uses no eggs! So if you're out of them, you can still have your cake and eat it, too! Nice to see the tradition continues.
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