Family recipes may be beloved within the family, but they don’t usually rise to the level where people ask for them outside the family. And when they do, sometimes the family is protective of the recipe. They feel it’s so much a part of their identity, they can’t give it away.
I grew up with a chocolate cake recipe that my dad made for most special occasions. It was beloved within the family, and when other people tasted it, they wanted it to be beloved in their family too. It’s become a standard cake in a lot households connected to mine. But the recipe’s origins have been murky. So I went home and, while my dad baked another edition of the cake, I got the recipe – and pinned Dad down on where it came from.
Dark Chocolate Cake
2 eggs
1 cups neutral oil
1½ teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot coffee
2 teaspoons baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Combine wet and dry. No need to get it fully mixed, because the next step is to slowly add the coffee. When there’s just a little coffee left, dissolve the baking soda in the coffee and add that to the batter.
Grease and flour two 9” round greased and floured pans, or 1 9”x13” sheet pan.
Pour in batter and bake for 25-30 minutes, until middle springs back when pressed or a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Let the cake cool completely before icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
½ cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat butter with cream cheese. Add vanilla. Slowly add confectioner's sugar while continuing to beat until smooth.
Credits
The music in today's episode comes from the artists at Universal Production Music.