For the Love of Cake - Part 2

Cake, cake, CAKE, CaKe, C.A.K.E., cake....cake.  I'm trying to figure out an interesting recipe to post that's not too hard, not too easy, doesn't give away any of my secret recipes and something I have a picture of...ahhhh - did I say CAKE.

Chocolate cake.  The recipes are many.  You can use melted chocolate in your chocolate cake or cocoa powder.  Coffee, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon all go amazing with chocolate.  Why am I focusing on chocolate cake?  Well, I am a chocolatier and I have a lot of chocolate cake recipes and not many people hate chocolate.  My first day in chocolate school we made chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache - I'm in heaven.  

I was at George Brown College, a decent 20 minute walk from school to the GO Train at 10:30 at night in downtown Toronto.  There I was, in my droopy chef pants, steel toed butcher boots, chocolate covered chef jacket, chef hat head, large red down-filled winter coat, huge bag full of knives, spoons and stuff, my purse and one box with an 8" ganache covered chocolate cake to carry to the GO Train.  I got 2 offers on my way to the train but I politely declined, after all, it's chocolate and I can be selfish.  Made it to the train station without a mishap, waited for my train without a mishap, up the stairs, got on the train, sat down - no mishaps.  This could work out I sheepishly said to myself, knowing Paul would be waiting for me at Mimico station to pick me up and drive me home.

Made it to my stop, made it out the door, down the stairs, under the tracks, back up to the parking lot, in the car, steel toed boots, droopy drawers, big red scary coat, bag of knives, purse, cake and all!  I'm sooo great I thought, I'm a freakin' genius!  Paul helped me out of the car, I egotistically carried my masterpiece up the front steps through the door, being held open by my oh-so-lucky husband.  Proceeded to then drop my bag of knives and purse on the floor, and put the cake on the kitchen table, I shamelessly will never forget watching (what seemed like slo-mo) that pretty boxed, chocolate ganache covered, perfect chocolate  cake (which snagged me an A+) slide across the table, and teeter on the edge, for what seemed like an hour, only to have it tip off and land upside down...yes, my ego trip was over.  I stood there like a dejected puppy looking for a new home.

As I scooped ganache and cake off the floor and tried to smush it back into something that looked like cake the cat decided it was a good time to help wash the floor...sigh.

After all that, I have to say the cake recipe was not only awesome but lower in fat then a lot of cake recipes, although high in the sugar department, but, half the sugar can be substituted with Splenda.  Here's that ill fated recipe that I still use to this day!

CHOCOLATE SLIDE OFF THE TABLE CAKE

100g   flour
50g     cocoa
225g   sugar
1 tsp   baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg
120 ml milk mixed with 1/2 tsp vinegar
60 ml oil
120 ml hot, freshly brewed strong coffee
1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Mix the milk with vinegar and allow to curdle.  Line an 8" spring form pan with parchment and spray with oil or grease with butter.  In a bowl sift flour and cocoa, add baking soda, salt, baking powder and sugar and mix well. Mix the egg with a fork, add oil, milk and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients to dry and mix.  Add hot coffee and stir until combined.
Pour into prepared cake form and bake until ready, about 25-30 minutes.