"This is all you ever gave me, mother! This and saddlebags!"
Imagine if someone did leave the cake out in the rain. Like a real live McArthur Park. What would happen?
Guess what. I'd still eat it.
Damp Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Amanda/Judith Hesser "Cooking for Mr. Latte"
2 cups sugar
4 ounces bittersweet (70% or so) chocolate
1 cup cold water
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease two round, 9-inch cake pans with butter and dust with cocoa powder. Once pans are coated, tap over sink or trash to get rid of any excess cocoa.
Over medium heat, melt butter, chocolate, sugar and water in a medium saucepan until completely fluid and lump-free. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Add cider vinegar and vanilla extract to milk, stirring to combine. Add eggs, milk/vinegar/vanilla to chocolate mixture, and whisk well. Add flour mixture in 3 stages, stirring well after each. Divide batter between prepped pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until tops are dry, skewer combs out with fudgey (but not wet, and no raw batter) crumbs sticking to it. Cool in pan, then remove and place on a rack to cool completely.
Frosting
For the frosting, Hesser instructs the baker to melt chocolate chips (I used bittersweet) and combine, once cool, with the same amount of room temperature sour cream. I did as told (using 1 cup and 1 cup, respectively), and added the zest of one orange, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the seeds of half a vanilla bean to the sour cream.
Using a generous amount of the frosting, slather the top of one layer and place the second layer on top. Repeat. If you want to make a double batch, frost the sides. I didn't. And look where that got me.
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