Chocolate cake that's easier than pie.
NOTE: If this is an actual emergency, please scroll down past the text and head straight to the recipe.
Life on the farm is defined by a never ending series of surprises. This, of course, is what makes it so interesting. Ever hopeful, I still write out an ambitious To Do List each morning, though most of the time it simply involves re-copying the previous day's list.
All of these unforeseen events are not true emergencies, but many of them do require prompt attention. When several occur at once, we fall into a sort of triage mode and prioritize our actions accordingly:
1. Animals
2. Plants
3. People
4. Vehicles, Machinery, & Everything Else that Breaks Down
This simply means that if we return home to find that Doll Face has her head stuck in the fence (again), an army of ravenous blister beetles has launched a full-scale attack on the garden, and there are four dogs on the porch instead of two, then it is time to grab a snack because dinner is going to be late. It also means that we get to eat and sleep before delving into the mystery of why the truck engine died six times on the way home.
Often it is not possible to properly solve a problem right away. If, for instance, the tractor breaks down in a field half a mile from the house, you do the best you can with baling twine and chewing gum and hope you can sweet talk it back to the workshop where there are tools and manuals and a phone to order new parts.
This scenario is the country equivalent of the first-aid kit versus the state-of-the-art robotic surgery wing at the hospital. A first-aid kit offers you the bare minimum: Band-Aids, perhaps some antibiotic cream or gauze, and a roll of that weird white tape that never sticks to anything. It's very basic, but it helps. And once in a while, you luck out and realize the first-aid kit was enough, and that the baling twine and chewing gum should hold things together for another couple of years.
Sometimes the definition of what constitutes an actual emergency can be rather subjective. Most people would probably agree that a copperhead snake in the farmyard, a rainstorm in the kitchen, or pretty much anything involving blood all require immediate action. But I'm sure there are those who would not consider a desperate need for chocolate cake to be a dire situation. I disagree. Sometimes—especially if you have just dealt with the poisonous snake, the indoor rainstorm, and the blood—what you really, really need is a piece of chocolate cake. And absolutely nothing else will do.
Producing a seven-layer, museum quality extravaganza complete with three types of filling and dusted with real gold is clearly not an option at this point. That would be the State of the Art Robotic Surgery Wing at the Hospital Cake. No, what you require is the First-Aid Kit Chocolate Cake: fast, easy, and immediately stops the cravings. Here is that cake.
As you can see by the photo, this cake is not glamorous. It does not aspire to be a Gourmet magazine covercake. Of course you could dress it up in an endless number of ways, all to delightful effect. You could serve it with fresh raspberries and a dollop of vanilla whipped cream. Or with tiny scoops of cappuccino gelato sprinkled with crushed, chocolate-covered espresso beans. Or you could add things to the batter, such as mini chocolate chips, toasted nuts, instant espresso powder, finely grated orange peel, or a splash of good dark rum.
All of these would be very nice. The point is, though, that you don't need to do any of them. The beauty of this cake is that it is absolutely delicious all by itself. It doesn't even need frosting. You bake it in a loaf pan and simply slice it into about eight thick pieces. It's soft and light and moist and offers just the right amount of sweetness and chocolate. Yesterday it took me less than 20 minutes to go from empty kitchen counter to cake in the oven, and that included licking the beaters. You can even eat it warm.
As with most cakes, this one tastes even better the next day. It also freezes beautifully and defrosts quickly. Just wrap each slice in plastic, toss them into a zipper freezer bag, and you will be prepared for anything.
Since I am the only person in our household who suffers from Chocolate Cake Emergencies, I have never felt the need to double the recipe and make two loaves at once, but it would probably work just fine. Now, normally this is where I would put the recipe, but first I am going to divulge a little more about what went on during yesterday's test baking. I came across this cake recipe the other day and realized that I had forgotten all about it. (Actually, I think I may have hidden it on purpose, as I was making it a little too often.) I decided it needed to be shared and immediately came up with the perfect title for a post: Chocolate Cake Emergency. I just didn't realize how appropriate it would be. Here, then, is the "behind the scenes" part that usually gets edited out of the script. I think these excerpts from two e-mails I wrote to my friend Clare while the cake was baking pretty well describe what turned out to be a Chocolate Cake Emergency of an entirely different sort. The first e-mail abruptly ended with my saying, "Better go check cake. Smells awfully chocolatey all the way in here already."
Four minutes later, I sent Clare another e-mail. The subject was "Oh Nooooooo!!!" and the message read: Burnt batter disaster in the kitchen! UGH! My own notes said 9"x5" or 8"x4" pan, so I decided to use smaller one since I had eaten so much cake batter. MISTAKE! Batter is oozing out all over the oven!
Just pulled out another stick of butter to soften. Must try recipe again in larger pan. Dilemma is: do I let the chocolate volcano keep erupting or take it out now and eat it half raw? Maybe I should just go muck out the barn or brush Donkey Doodle Dandy or something.
I left the cake in the oven, and it eventually stopped spewing batter everywhere. After plucking off the crunchy edges, the final result was deemed edible. I did, however, bake a second cake last night in a larger pan, and it came out perfect. If you don't have a 9"x5" pan (I love my Chicago Metallic commercial loaf pans, which are also great for baking sandwich breads), I suggest making a second tiny loaf or a few cupcakes or eating a whole lot of the batter (it's very tasty). As always, I urge you to use organic ingredients; they really do make a difference.
Farmgirl Susan's Emergency Chocolate Loaf Cake
Makes one 9-inch loaf cake
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) organic butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic yogurt or sour cream (or a combination)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Using an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. On medium low speed, add dry ingredients to creamed mixture (you can combine the dry ingredients first but I never do), alternating with yogurt. Beat just until smooth; do not over mix. Turn batter into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake. Cool in pan. Cake may settle in the middle as it cools—this is normal. What else can you do with this recipe? Make Chocolate Babycakes With Mocha Buttercream Frosting!
For small but serious chocolate emergencies.
Still Hungry? You'll find links to all of my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index. ©
