Chocolate Stack Loaf

Chocolate cake is a tricky little thing. It is no good if it is too dry (as is most cake), too moist (then it should just be a pudding), or just not very full of that delicious chocolate flavor (and we all know it can also go too far the other way). I remember very distinctly going to a birthday party for a friend a few years ago… she is a big chocolate lover, and chocolate cake was served at her party. It was bought from a grocery store bakery, decorated with scrolling letters, exclaiming the excitement of my friend turning another year older. She blew out the candles, licked the bottom of the pink one, and started cutting and passing. With my plastic fork I put a bite into my mouth… and slowly, but regretfully chewed and swallowed. Needless to say… I did not finish my piece of the cake. It was waxy, dry, with gritty icing, and no flavor. I think the plastic fork and the cake had plenty in common.

Two years ago Ryan bought me a cake from a grocery store bakery. Now this was not just your regular run of the mill grocery store… this was an all natural, organic foods, gourmet foods grocery store. A bakery we thought would be trusted and tasty. Now Ryan is an amazing man.. he knows that chocolate makes his little wife (me) happy. Very happy. But there is a such thing as overwhelmingly sweet and rich cake. And that is NOT a good thing. Not at all. This dark chocolate cake with ganache filling and chocolate butter cream icing looked very rich. Too rich. And it was. It was too sweet, it was too rich, it was too much chocolate flavor… it was an uncomfortable amount of chocolate. So much so that I couldn’t really enjoy the chocolate at all. All in all, that cake was a bust. (Sorry Ryan.) **I admit… I have made similar cakes before… and I apologize for that.

And then there are those cakes that I’ve made from complicated recipes, towering high with layers of icing, stacked and beautiful.. hours spent slaving away melting and stirring and whipping and measuring and checking to make sure that there is not a second of over cooking. But this cake… this cake is not that way. Thankfully. This cake is a new staple. One to keep on hand for the impromptu party or dessert (or chocolate craving). This recipe doesn’t call for fancy milks or fancy chocolate or fancy anything really. But its moist, its fluffy, its light enough. It does not beat you over the brow with chocolate. It introduces chocolate in a friendly “Hi, I’m Chocolate… nice to meet you again…” kind of way. And its easy. It is so easy. And this frosting… this is a new favorite. Not too milky, not too dark, nothing hard. Not gritty, not oily, not greasy, not too sweet, just perfect. This cake does not require a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or any fancy schmancy kitchen device and could be doubled or tripled, and baked in different pans and stacked or iced as a sheet or made into cute tiny cupcakes or bundts. But its pretty good this way. In fact, I suggest you try it this way first… let yourself be reintroduced to friendly chocolate first, before you get all crazy on it.

1 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c hot water

Preheat to 350 F and lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan. Line pan with wax paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt cocoa powder and brown sugar. Add butter, vanilla and eggs-mix. The mix will evolve into a thick paste.

Add hot water and carry on whisking. Pour into pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Invert cake and cool for about an hour. Cut the loaf into three equal rectangles. Frost the cakes and stack, and frost the sides and top. Dust with cocoa powder if you so choose.

Place all ingredients short of whipping cream and vanilla into a saucepan on the stove. Heat on low. Gradually add whipping cream while stirring. Do not boil… Remove from heat when smooth. Add vanilla and allow to cool completely before using. Fudge frosting will need an hour or two to cool before usage.