In the Sweet Kitchen

All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Icing
created by: Regan Daley
(or Vegan chocolate cake if the Icing is omitted)

Cake:

11/2 cups all-prupose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli or Hershey‘s
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons flavourless vegetable oil, such as canola
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup cool water

Icing:
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups confections‘ sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons mild or water
1 1/2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Sift the flour into an ungreased, unfloured 8x8 inch square baking pan (a 9x9 inch pan would work too; reduce the baking time by 5 to 7 minutes). (If you wish to unmould the cake before icing and serving, butter the pan lightly and line the bottom and up two sides with a piece of parchment paper. Take care when mixing not to disturb or tear the paper. Personally, I like to leave the cake in the pan; it keeps very well that way, and is even easier!) In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar cocoa, baking soda and salt. Ad this mixture to the flour in the pan and stir well with a fork or small whisk to blend the ingredients (a flat sauce whisk works beautifully). With the back of a teaspoon, make three indentations or wells in the dry mixture: one large, one medium-sized, and one small. Into the large well, pour the vegetable oil. Into the medium-sized well, the vinegar. Pour the vanilla extract into the last well and pour the water over everything. With a fork, stir the mixture until the ingredients are well blended, making sure you reach into the corners and sides to catch any dry pockets. Do not beat this batter, but mix just until most of the lumps are smoothed out, and there are no little patches of overly thick or overly runny batter. A few lumps won‘t hurt, and it‘s important not to over beat at this point.

2. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top feels springy when lightly touched. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the cake completely before cutting, turning out or icing. This is an extremely moist cake, and it will tear if cut too soon. While you‘re waiting for the cake to cool, whip up a batch of the chocolate butter icing. If you have lined the pan with parchment, run a knife around the sides of the pan and gently lift the cake out with the help of the parchment paper.

3. In a medium bow, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the confectioners‘ sugar until the butter is well distributed. The mixture will be very dry and still powdery. Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk or water, then sift the cocoa powder over the mixture and cream to blend. Mix in the vanilla, then add teh second cup of confectioners‘ sugar. Add as much of the remaining liquid as necessary to make a thick, creamy icing. (This recipe makes more than enough to generously frost the top and sides of the cake.

Sarah - I thought you might like this recipe. You could make it on your cooking night for your vegan sorority sistas. Instead of icing, you can sift confectioners’ sugar and/or cocoa powder over the cake. I baked it in a round 10” pan because that’s all I have and it turned out fine. I then decided to make it into a double-layer cake by cutting it in half and putting one half on top of the other with icing in between the layers. I also put about 5 times as much cocoa into the icing as was called for because as you all know, you can never have enough chocolate!

This recipe is from a book that previously belonged to my sister, Dana, called "In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion" by Regan Daley. She gave it to me during one of her "I have to get rid of everything" moments. This is my baking bible, I absolutely couldn't live without it. The recipes are fantastic and the directions are so well written, that even my mother could create a masterpiece. I havn't made anything from this book that didn't turn out excellent. Even traditional recipes have been spiced up. I had been looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long time and every one that I tried was either cakey, or flat, or simply not good. Regan Daley has created a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, where the cookies are moist, chewy, and simply delicious. To buy this book from Amazon.com click on the picture.
My compliments to the chef!

- Libby