It's A Crazy Life.....

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to bake a chocolate cake...from scratch!  Not really sure why.  Perhaps it was the chocolate calling to me.  Perhaps I just wanted to turn the oven on and warm up the house.  Perhaps it was because I've had this cookbook sitting in my library bag for three weeks and not even cracked it open.  Whatever the case, I did it.  With help from two little muchkins of course.  The best kind of help....counting measuring scoops and sticking fingers into the batter to "taste" it.



The FarmChicks Dark Chocolate Butter Cake

1 C milk
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 1/2 C unsalted butter
2 1/2 C sugar
2 1/4 C flour
3/4 C Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C espresso or very strong coffee brewed
Raspberry Sauce for serving

*Preheat oven to 325.  Butter a 10 in Bundt pan well; then dust with  cocoa powder, knocking out excess.

*Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to slightly thicken.
*Cream butter and sugar.
*In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt cinnamon and baking powder.  Set aside.
*Add eggs one at a time to butter/sugar mixture, beating on high speed in between each.
*Beat in vanilla.
*Whisk the espresso into the milk mixture by hand.
*In thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture, beating on medium speed and blending well after each addition.
*Scrape batter into pan.  Bake for 60-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool, then invert the pan onto a plate.  Serve with Raspberry Sauce (raspberries, 1/2 C sugar, 1 TBS lemon juice cooked slightly).
*Enjoy!

Now....I didn't quite follow the recipe exactly.  I was out of vanilla extract, so I figured I would add almond instead.  But I was out of that too....so I used Khluha instead.  I also left out the espresso/coffee, as I don't enjoy that flavor at all.  And now...typing out the recipe, I realized that I also left out the baking powder!  Oops!  But it still turned out okay.  And quite tasty.  Mr. CrazyLife says it tastes just like no-bake cookies.  Which from him is a HUGE compliment as that is one of his favorites!