The Best Chocolate Cake

February 13, 2024

Friends! I made the best chocolate cake a couple of weeks ago and I just had to share the recipe with you. It's based off of this recipe from the Honey & Jam Cookbook. As per my usual, I didn't have everything on hand so I improvised. And folks--it is THE best cake I've ever made, if I do so humbly say so myself. In fact, I couldn't stop eating it. So I thought I would share the recipe with y'all. Feel free to improvise it yourself. If you want the recipe as it was originally written, click the link above. Otherwise, here's my take on the cake.

The Recipe

Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Hershey's unsweetened special dark cocoa powder
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
dash of cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (packed) brown sugar,
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon homemade vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 pears or apples or combination of both, diced
1/2 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

For the glaze:
1 cup brewed coffee
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt, angel food, or round pans.
2. Whisk 1 cup boiling water and Hershey's cocoa powder, in 2-cup glass measuring cup
3. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in medium bowl.
4. Using a mixer, beat brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend. Fold pears/apples & nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
5. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool the cake 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; cool 15 minutes longer.
6. Meanwhile, to make glaze, stir together coffee, brown sugar, butter & cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil, continuing for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. When cake is cool, pour over glaze & top with powdered sugar.

That's it friends! It's a pretty easy and straightforward cake. And oh so yummy. Let me know if you make this cake and what you think!

'til next time
-k
xoxo
2/13/24