Decadent Chocolate Cake

Oh hey.  I've been MIA for a little while.  There's been a lot going on over here.  For starters, I had to go through the most excruciatingly nerve wracking day called Dietetic Internship Match Day. The last 2+ years of my life and school had been leading up to that day. NBD. The good news is, I matched! I’m very happy to announce that I will doing my internship in NYC starting next February. Other than the fact that I have to pack up my life and move to a new city, I’m very excited!

Almost immediately after that came Passover. That always throws a huge wrench in my life. Then the usual stress of realizing that school is in full swing and I AM SO BEHIND OMG HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!

But now things are calmer, I’ve fully recovered, and I’m ready to celebrate. On that note, I bring you the bestest ever chocolate cake!

I will be the first person to admit that I am not a chocolate person. I just find chocolate tends to be a big crowd-pleaser, so that’s what I usually go with for dessert. Plus, if I make a dessert from chocolate, I’m much less likely to devour it all at once.

This chocolate cake came to me from a former coworker back when I was working in DC. I mentioned that I had to make dessert for a dinner the next night and I didn’t know what to make, and my coworker immediately sent me this recipe. It was ridiculously easy to make. You mix all the dry ingredients while the water boils, then mix in the wet ingredients, pop it in the oven, and the whole thing smells like hot chocolate. Amazing.

Granted, I have changed the recipe a bit over the years. I substitute bananas for eggs because I used to be less adventurous with replacing eggs and the banana really works here. I also cut back on the sugar, which helps bring out the chocolate more. One time I was getting ready to make this cake and realized I only had white whole wheat flour, so I used that, and you definitely can’t tell. One time I replaced most of the oil with applesauce, and that worked out well, too. I think this recipe is indestructible. It even freezes and defrosts really well.

This is a simple recipe. You can definitely change things out to make it more complicated, but I’m going to keep it simple here. It takes very little time and effort, and it produces a decadent, moist, chocolate cake to die for every time (and this is coming from someone who doesn’t even like chocolate!).

Decadent Chocolate Cake
Makes one 9x13 pan or a large bundt pan

Ingredients:

2 cups flour of your choice (I’ve used all-purpose, white whole wheat, and whole wheat pastry flour)
1.5 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder
½ cup vegetable oil
2 very ripe bananas (or 2 eggs or 2 egg replacements)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups boiling water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325F

1. Put a pot of water on to boil.

2. Sift all the dry ingredients a large mixing bowl.

3. In a smaller bowl, mash the bananas (if using) to a smooth paste. If necessary, you can add some of the boiling water in to help loosen the bananas. When I make a few of these cakes at once, I’ll even toss the bananas in the food processor or blender with the oil, vanilla, and hot water.

4. Add the banana mash, vanilla, oil, and boiling water into the large mixing bowl. Stir quickly to combine the ingredients until the batter is smooth.

5. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan or a large bundt pan. You can also make two 9 inch square pans or two 9 inch round pans.

6. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from oven to cool. Serve with powdered sugar sifted over the top or fresh berries.

Enjoy!