These are two pieces of chocolate deliciousness that I made with my daughter and proceeded to have for dessert every night for a week.
This past summer my family celebrated the birthday of our friend Roe by joining a bunch of friends on Shelter Island for an epic celebration that involved kids, a raw bar, corn on the cob, home made pizzas, bbq steak, multiple bottles of tequila, a brilliant sunset, Creedence Clearwater Revival and three (yep, 3) birthday cakes all made by the inimitable Stephanie Mankins.
The cakes were magnificent, and I (of course) begged Stephanie to tell me how to make them. Turns out the recipes had been lovingly passed down from her grandmother, which somehow made the cakes that much more delicious. Especially the chocolate one. True to Ms Mankins’ old school and most excellent ways, my answer came not in the form of an e mail with a link to the recipe, but as a beautifully handwritten recipe card enclosed in an envelope and sent to me via– gasp– the United States Postal Service.
So here it is, in all of it’s glory. This cake is beyond easy to make, and will keep wrapped up on the counter for up to a week. And a beautiful week it was, let me tell you. We snacked and deserted (as in ate desert, not left the premises) like royalty.
ps: By the way, where the recipe says “soda” she means baking soda.
Hi there! Just clicking through from Cup of Jo. This cake looks yummy. Question–Is soda (that thing listed right after vanilla) baking soda? Or seltzer? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this.
It’s baking soda… I’ll be sure to modify this on the post to avoid further confusion. Thanks for pointing that out! And the cake is super simple and incredibly delicious– you are in for a treat!
All purpose flour I am guessing and not self raising? Thanks.
Yes, all purpose!
Is the cocoa sweet or unsweetened? I really want to make this! It looks so good! xo
Hi Lisa… You should use unsweetened cocoa. The 2 cups of sugar add plenty of sweetness. Enjoy the cake!
yum
A prepared pan means buttered and floured?
Yes! Buttered and floured… Or at least that’s how I interpreted it! Happy baking!
Where’s the Scotch?
This sounds delicious may I ask if the ‘t’ measurement is tablespoon please? Thanks
The lower case t means teaspoon. Capitol T is tablespoon. It’s a really great cake- on high rotation at our house. Hope you enjoy it!