Chocolate Cake

Sometimes, a good chocolate cake is what's needed. And that's precisely what I've got here. It's a simple recipe that achieves a simple goal—putting chocolate cake in your kitchen. This may very well be a cake you've seen, and hopefully tasted, before, but it bears repeating, re-making, and rejoicing. For it is just that good. And it's a handy recipe to have in your back pocket, or recipe chest, or bookmarked, or whatever method you use to log in-a-pinch recipes.

The cake's simplicity comes from its oil base and substitution of vinegar and baking soda, in place of eggs. It's a one bowl deal, and it also happens to be vegan. The frosting, which is not at all vegan, does add a couple extra steps. It wants for a double boiler, creating more dishes than one might prefer, but you can find your own frosting of choice or even skip it altogether. It's the cake part of this cake that reigns supremely chocolate. 

From Moosewood's Six-Minute Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cold coffee
4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 TBSP cider vinegar

Directions:
--Grease and flour two 9-inch round or 8-inch squash cake pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
--In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add in the oil, coffee and vanilla together and stir to combine. Stir in the vinegar just until combined: a few pale streaks from the vinegar may remain.
--Pour batter into pans, distributing as equally between the two as possible. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from pans.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
--Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, taking care not to burn if using the latter. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Let cool slightly.
--To assemble cake, carefully invert one layer onto a serving plate. Pour half the glaze on top, smoothing with a spatula to the edges of the cake. Place the second layer on top and pour on the rest of the glaze, letting it run down the sides. Cool completely before serving.