Chocolate Cake Recipe

Well, as a result of my recent adventures in medical experimentation, Romance News is going to go to publication late this month.

But good news!

The eggless chocolate cake recipe everyone has been begging me to give over the past ten years is here for your baking pleasure as a bribe. I also included the quick cream cheese frosting that seems, in my opinion, perfect with this ultra-chocolatey cake.

It's not only the BEST cake recipe I know, it's the best tasting and so quick you will be convinced you left something out. There are other variations on this out there, but I've tweaked this one til it's flawless and fool-proof.

Chrissy's Idiot-Proof
Dark Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
8 to 10 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup melted margerine
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups water
2 tablespoons vinegar

Prepare a tube or bundt pan (grease and flour). You can use the batter for cupcakes but I don't recommend it as a layer cake. Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients, add melted margerine, vanilla, then cold water, stirring each in well. Add vinegar last. This should yield a heavy, glossy batter without lumps. If you use a mixer, do it on a low setting. Avoid over-mixing.

Fold into pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. The top of your cake should have a slight give, and a toothpick should come out SLIGHTLY coated with crumbs, not completely clean.

Chrissy's Simple Cream Cheese Icing

1 12 oz brick cream cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla (you can substitute almond extract or your choice)
10 tablespoons milk (or cream)
1 box confectioner's sugar

Blend the cheese til softened, add vanilla. Add confectioner's sugar and milk alternately, adjusting to your desired consistency. This icing is slightly sugary/tacky to the touch rather than fluffy.

I top this cake with roses made out of tootsie rolls. Always a hit.