Did you know that the last Friday in January is National Chocolate Cake Day in the US? Neither did I! This got my mouth watering. In typical Localize style it peaked my curiosity too – how did the chocolate cake come about?
THE ORIGINS OF CHOCOLATE CAKE
Chocolate cake was born in 1765 when a doctor and a chocolate maker teamed up in an old mill. They ground up cocoa beans between huge millstones to make a thick syrup. The liquid was poured into molds shaped like cakes, which were meant to be transformed into a beverage (which was popular at the time). Source
I’m so thankful for this yummy invention that I’m going to bake a cake this weekend! This is the recipe I recently used for my son’s first birthday – thanks to my sister in-law for it! My son is allergic to dairy so I substituted soy milk. It is really rich, moist and includes another favourite…coffee! It’s really easy to mix and make – only uses one bowl!
Margaret (my daughter) is an excellent ‘helper’
I have a some Planet Bean coffee from the morning that didn’t get finished. It’ll work nicely for this cake, in fact, any of our Localized coffee vendor’s delicious locally and freshly roasted coffee would work well – that way you not only know the history of the cake but also the ingredients too!
DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
| 2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt (totally optional) |
2 eggs
1 cup coffee (cold) 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp vinegar |
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, milk, oil and vinegar. Mix until smooth; the batter will be thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Enjoy and happy national chocolate cake day!
Sarah Grant is Localize’s Director of Partnerships and also loves cooking and baking with her kids.
