“This is just like room service!”

That, from my almost 6-year old grand daughter Lila (who apparently already knows about room service!?!) after I let her have her dinner in the family room and watch TV.

This is something I didn’t allow my own two daughters.

But honestly, after 35 years I was a little out of practice. And, like bike riding, you may not forget how, but you also may not race through the streets or peddle yourself up a steep hill quite as often or as easily either. 

So, when the kids came for a visit, sans parents, from Friday through Sunday, there were occasional, let’s say, concessions. If my daughter Gillian, their Mom, is reading this now, I say, don’t worry. These kids are terrific and 2 meals in front of the TV won’t harm them.

As you can see from the photos we did lots of stuff like draw, have a pedicure, blow bubbles outside, ride bikes, have a fashion show. We also frosted a birthday cake for their cousin Nina’s birthday party on Saturday (although the top decoration, an Ariel rice-paper scene, was store-bought).

The little one, Remy, age 21 months talks a blue streak although sometimes it’s difficult to understand his pronunciations. However, one of the new words he learned this weekend was “chocolate cake,” which he mentioned to his parents as soon as they walked in the door Sunday night.

“Tzockickcake!” he told them, with his tongue literally licking his lips.

When a kid is this young you can’t depend on “what happens at Grandma’s stays at grandma’s.”

I had baked the chocolate cake for a Hadassah Tea and was cutting it into slices. There were a few not-so-lovely pieces that I didn’t include on the platter I sent over for that event. Remy had a small sliver of the leftovers. He liked it, that’s for sure.

Can’t say I blame him. Smart kid!

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Yogurt Pound Cake

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounces butter at room temperature

3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup boiling water

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix at medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending each one in. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the yogurt, until the flour mixture and yogurt have been used and the batter is well blended and smooth. Gradually add the boiling water, beating slowly, for 2-3 minutes or until the batter is smooth and well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Makes 12+ servings

Is it still cake if it’s dense, ultra-rich and more like fudge? That’s what I wondered about this recipe, a cake I made this past weekend for my husband Ed’s birthday. This cake is dark-chocolatey. The kind of dark-chocolatey that experts say is healthy to eat (can you imagine that?). I’ve baked it before and eaten it still warm, when it is lighter, more tender and more like cake.

And absolutely wonderful.

But because my kids and grandkids were coming for the birthday weekend, I made it in advance and kept it in the fridge and we ate it cold. It was thicker, felt richer on the tongue and with a more concentrated chocolate flavor, more like fudge.

And absolutely wonderful.

It’s a simple recipe, easy to make and just needs a little whipped cream to make it complete. Although probably vanilla ice cream would do just as well.

This made a festive birthday cake. But I can’t think of a better treat for Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

10 tablespoons butter at room temperature

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar

whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. Place a parchment or waxed paper circle on the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Remove the top pan with the melted chocolate from the bottom pan. Add the butter, flour and salt and blend them in thoroughly. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and blend them in thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff, but the tips still lop over slightly. Add about 1/3 of the whites to the chocolate mixture and blend it in thoroughly. Add the remaining whipped whites and fold them in gently until the batter is a uniform color. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven. Leave the door open. Let the cake cool in the oven. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve with whipped cream. Best the first day, slightly warm, but wonderful, denser and more fudgy when cold and a day old. Makes 8-10 servings

Because it’s National Black Forest Cake Day it reminds me of the time when my husband’s Aunt Alice invited us to dinner. We were flattered that she asked us (the aunts on my side didn’t) and she forewarned us that she wasn’t a great cook so we weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary.

I don’t really remember anything about that dinner except for the dessert: a Black Forest Cake. So rich and chocolatey. So tender, fabulous, gorgeous. We ooohed and aaahed.

And then I made the mistake of asking her if she made it.

And then she made the mistake of saying yes.

Ohmyohmyohmy. 

I asked for the recipe.

I got one of course. But after I baked it I understood. It was an okay recipe. I don’t know where she got it, whose it was. I looked for it before I started this little entry today, but I must have discarded it in one of my recipe purges because it wasn’t THE recipe and wasn’t good enough to keep.

I never let Aunt Alice know I knew.

And I don’t know whether she ever knew I knew.

But in honor of Black Forest Day or really, I should say, in honor of Aunt Alice, here’s a recipe for Black Forest Cake. It builds on the chocolate cake recipe I posted a few days ago (but I’ve copied it here).

If you can’t get fresh cherries or don’t want to pit them, use canned Bing cherries, not cherry pie filling.

Black Forest Cake

The cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/3 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

The Syrup and filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons kirschwasser brandy

1 pound pitted sweet cherries (or use drained, canned Bing cherries)

The Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons kirschwasser brandy

maraschino cherries for garnish

chocolate shavings for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium, beat the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes or until creamy and well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, and beat until the batter is smooth and well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Make the syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, dissolving sugar completely. Let cool and stir in the brandy. Brush the syrup on one of the cake layers.

Whip the cream until it is thickened. Add the sugar and whip the cream until it is thick. Stir in the brandy. Place the syrup-glazed cake layer on a cake plate. Spread some of the whipped cream on top. Place the fresh cherries on top. Place the second cake layer on top. Use the remaining whipped cream to frost the cake. Garnish with maraschino cherries and chocolate shavings. Makes one cake serving 12

I’m looking for the perfect homemade chocolate cake recipe.

I keep trying different ones, adding or reducing ingredients here and there, because my son-in-law Greg loves chocolate cake and for the last 15 years or so I have been buying and baking stuff to try to get the dessert right for him. I can tell by the way he moves his eyebrows and forehead what he thinks initially. Then, because he is a writer, he can go into detail about what is good or not good about a particular recipe, which I find not only appealing, but helpful.

So, when it comes to chocolate cake, he is my official tester (in fact, when he and my daughter Meredith were married, it was Greg, not Meredith, who went with me for tastes at Gail Watson Cakes (www.gailwatsoncake.com). (Btw, her cakes are not only gorgeous they actually taste like cake and not some carboard thing put together with plaster of Paris.)

The other day, it was my granddaughter Nina’s 4th birthday party and she asked me to make a chocolate cake with whipped cream and strawberries. Of course I did and here’s the recipe, which got a wonderful review from Greg.

Chocolate Cocoa Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberries

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/3 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup sliced strawberries

whole strawberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium, beat the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes or until creamy and well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, and beat until the batter is smooth and well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Whip the cream until it is thickened. Add the sugar and whip the cream until it is thick. Place one of the cake layers on a cake plate. Spread some of the whipped cream on one of the layers. Add the sliced strawberries. Place the second cake layer on top. Use the remaining whipped cream to frost the cake. Decorate the top with the whole strawberries. Makes one cake, serving about 10 people

Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve? Wasn’t it just the new millennium? The new century?

Is everyone’s life going as fast as mine is?

It’s already March. We’ve come through a long, cold, snowy winter where I live, a rainy, blustery, drenching winter elsewhere. I don’t even know if we’re through with all that stuff. But the word March sounds hopeful. At least to me. It’s the beginning of a month that ends with spring, crocuses, warmer temperatures, sunshine.

March 1st is also the start of National Ghost Writer’s Week, paying homage to those who write, often magnificently, for people who can’t, but they don’t get the writing credit. The people who can’t write get all the credit.

I actually know someone who’s a ghost writer. So, in his honor I give you a recipe for Chocolate Cake, one of his favorites.

Btw, if you haven’t seen the movie Ghost Writer, do so. It’s terrific and so is Ewan McGregor, the ghost writer in it.

Chocolate Cake

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1-1/2 cups milk

3 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 9-inch cake pans. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix gently to combine them. Add the sugar, butter and half the milk and beat the ingredients at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, or until well combined and smooth. Add the eggs and beat them in. Add the remaining milk, chocolate and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour equal amounts of the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the layers onto a cake rack to cool completely. 

Chocolate Frosting

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Place the butter and confectioner’s sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until well blended. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Enough for one 9-inch chocolate cake

A few days ago, because of the snow, it took me 50 minutes to drive from my house to the highway, a distance that usually takes about 6 minutes. This kind of ride is incredibly frustrating, especially if you actually have to be somewhere, which I did. And even though I had given myself what I thought was ample extra time, I was late anyway.

To avoid total anxiety and angry thoughts during the drive I decided not to tune in to talk radio, which I sometimes do just to see what the crazies are saying. And I didn’t turn on my music CDs because I’ve heard them a little too often lately and keep forgetting to change them.

I started to play those mind games you play when you’re bored. Like “if you could only take 10 books/films/music, etc. to a desert island, which would you choose?” Or, “who was the most influential person of the 20th century?”

Only I wasn’t feeling that I could handle an intellectual challenge so my thoughts turned to this: if Americans are so in love with chocolate, with practically everyone I know saying they are “chocaholics” then how come Twinkies were always more popular than Devil Dogs?

Personally I preferred Devil Dogs as a kid, even though I have always been more a vanilla loving person than a chocolate one. But I also have to say that the last Devil Dog I bought was when I was about 9 and when I opened the package and ants started crawling out I threw it away and have not eaten once since.

I’m not sure why Devil Dogs were called that. As I recall they don’t look like Devil’s food cake, which is like chocolate cake, but redder in color for a variety of reasons (usually made with cocoa instead of melted chocolate, more baking soda, and so on). But it got me thinking about making a devil’s food cake. I don’t have a great recipe of my own, so I’m going to try a few from other people and see what turns up. If I wind up with a recipe I like maybe I’ll even make my own homemade Devil Dogs.

My first try will be this one from Smitten Kitchen:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rD816Uxgr98J:smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/homemade-devil-dog-ding-dong-or-hostess-cake/+devil’s+dog+devil’s+food%3F&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Today is National Chocolate Cake Day. And also a snow day for a lot of us (we got at least another 14-inch dump of snow over the night and into the morning). I have to say, I resent a nighttime snow fall because I like watching the flakes come down. It’s so soft and quiet and makes me feel cozy and safe inside. When I woke up this morning it was all over, but for the plowing.

But I digress. It is National Chocolate Cake Day. A good day all around to make a dark, luscious, tender cake to enjoy while also maybe taking a snow day. It’s a good dessert for Valentine’s Day too. Or anytime really.

Here’s a cake I’ve been making ever since I was 12 years old, when I baked this for my own Bat Mitzvah celebration. I’ve tried dozens of different chocolate cake recipes over the years and haven’t found one I like better. And it’s easy to make too.

So, until I find a better cake, here’s my recipe for:

One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting

2 cups cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9-inch cake pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer (or large bowl for use with a hand mixer). Add the buttermilk and shortening and beat the ingredients at medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients for another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Frost the layer and outside of the cake with the fudge frosting. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes one 9-inch cake

Fudge Frosting

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup dairy sour cream

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the top pan from the bottom part of the double boiler. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla extract to the chocolate and beat the ingredients vigorously with a whisk to blend them completely into a smooth frosting. Let cool for a few minutes, until it has a spreading consistency. Use between layers and for outside of the cake.

Today is National Fudge Day. I was 14 when I first tried to make some, one of the first recipes I ever tried to cook.

Unfortunately, real fudge is almost impossible to make correctly. You have to get the mixture to the right temperature and get sugar crystals perfect otherwise you wind up with a granular mess that crunches like sand in your mouth.

That’s the kind of fudge I made. My recipe improved after a few tries, but with so many good candy shops out there, if I want fudge these days, I buy it. 

I once found out that fudge was first made by a student at Vassar College. Not to be outdone, there was a competitive version by a student at Wellesley College and later, two students there baked a chocolate cake with fudge frosting and it was forever after known as Wellesley Fudge Cake.

I tried that too, with much greater success than the candy. I changed the recipe over the years until I wound up with a version I like.

The cake is much easier to make than fudge, so here’s the recipe, a really rich and delicious cake with creamy, sweet but also tangy frosting. Tasty on Fudge Day or anytime.

Wellesley Fudge Cake

Cake:

2 cups cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9-inch cake pans. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer), sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk and shortening and beat the ingredients with a hand mixer (or standing mixer) for about 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes (scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice). Spoon the batter into the two prepared cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester or the tip of a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Frost with Fudge Frosting.

Fudge Frosting

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup dairy sour cream

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Stir the melted chocolate and remove the top part of the double boiler from the heat. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla extract and whisk the ingredients until smooth. Let cool slightly until the mixture is spreading consistency.

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