Houstonist noted some interesting chocolate incidents in the news recently, including the story of a worker who became trapped in a vat of chocolate (can that really be a bad thing?) and that of an employee at a chocolatier to the rich and famous who saw the Virgin Mary in chocolate drippings. Sure, they were great stories, but for us, they invoked memories of our favorite chocolate cake — iced while it's hot to increase the gooey factor. It's a favorite for birthdays, parties and any time a chocolate attack hits; the recipe is simple and from scratch, just like Mama made (but don't tell her we're sharing her recipe).
Before we get to the cooking part, though, you should know a little about chocolate. It's an American invention — well, Central American, but hey, same continent. On Aug. 15, 1502, Christopher Columbus seized a large dugout canoe near what is now Honduras with a cargo of goods for trade, including cacao beans. Ancient Mayans wrote about cacao beans as early as 500 A.D., but early chocolate was a far cry from what we know today: Originally, it was served as a bitter frothy drink. Cacao beans have been used as currency and chocolate has been touted as having medicinal purposes. Good and good for you — what's not to like? (Houstonist has even discovered a couple of sources for fair trade chocolate, for shoppers with a global conscience.)
Oh yeah, and some chocolate trivia: In what book does Stephen King refer to "chocka?" Check the recipe on the jump for the answer.
Texas Sheet Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar (granulated)
2 sticks (1cup) margarine or butter, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk (here's a hint)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla (the real deal, please)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 400. Sift flour and sugar into a mixing bowl. Combine margarine/butter, cocoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over flour and sugar and mix well. Mix in buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and soda. Pour into a greased 11-by-15 sheet (jelly roll) pan or a 9-by-13 pan. Bake 20 minutes in a 15-by-11 pan or 30 minutes in a 9-by-13 until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Cake testing — no, seriously.)
While the cake is baking, make the icing.
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine or butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 (1-pound) box confectioner's sugar (powdered)
1 teaspoon vanilla (real)
1 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
Combine margarine/butter, cocoa and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and gradually beat in the sugar. Add vanilla and stir in nuts. Spread on the hot cake, which you've just removed from the oven. Then read Houstonist posts until the cake is cool enough for you to cut and consume. To finish the cake off, we suggest a large glass of ice-cold milk (we prefer 2% organic, but hey, it's your call).
And the trivia answer? What is Salem's Lot (chapter 10)?
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