Vitamin Ch

I wish I could eat chocolate cake everyday.  Honestly, I just finished off a perfect brownie that made me smile, but nothing hits the spot like a well done chocolate cake.  I like my breakfast like Bill Cosby’s daughter likes her breakfast.

“Good morn’, Daddy.” And I said, “What do you want for breakfast!?” The four-year-old has the ability to see through and find the wrong thing. The child saw through my body what was behind me. She saw the chocolate cake. She said, “Can I have the chocolate cake?” And I said, “Chocolate cake, where?” She said, “Chocolate cake behind you.” And I looked… and there was chocolate cake! The child wanted chocolate cake for breakfast! How ridiculous! And I said… and someone in my brain looked under chocolate cake and saw the ingredients: eggs! Eggs are in chocolate cake! And milk! Oh goody! And wheat! That’s nutrition! “What do you want?” “Can I have some chocolate cake?” “Chocolate cake coming up.”

I love reading Cosby’s sketch as a parenting lesson.  So much of his comedy relates to his kids, and more precisely to making them happy.  He has gone through his fair share of tragedy, but when it comes right down to it, he’s a great dad who wants the best for his kids.

So in life right now, I see a lot of people struggling.  And I trust that chocolate cake holds the answer.  In contrast to Cosby’s lesson, here’s my chocolate cake story, retold by me from Capital Church.

A little girl was reading her bible and stumbled across Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

She stormed into the kitchen to inquire of her mother how bad things happen to good people in light of this promise.  Coincidentally, her mother was baking a chocolate cake.  Mama asked her sweet baby “Honey, do you like cake?”  “Why, yes.”  Mama pulls a handful of spoons out of the drawer and says “Well, do you like sugar?” as she hands her a spoonful.  The little angel eats it and says “Yep!”  “Well, do you like flour?” with another spoonful.  This spoon she takes less excitedly, but eats it none the less.  “Hmmm, not so good huh?  How about baking soda? Or salt?  Or lard?” She lays a spoon of each ingredient on the counter to see if her daughter will take these less appetizing ingredients.  Of course she leaves them, and looks up confused.  Mama says “Honey, life is like chocolate cake.  There are the sweet things: chocolate, sugar, love, happiness.  But there are also the less sweet things: baking soda, lard, death, pain.  But you can’t make a cake without baking soda, and you can’t make life without suffering.  God mixes it all together and throws it in the oven of his grace.  In the end its a great combination, but if you take the individual ingredients life is anything but beautiful.  Does that make sense?”  She says “Yes ma’am.  May I have some chocolate on my next spoon?”

Tonight, I’m having chocolate cake for dinner.

Ingredients

• Shortening, as needed
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pans
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly grease the bottom of each cake pan, then line it with waxed paper or parchment paper and grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. Using an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat the butter in a large bowl for 30 seconds. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating each addition 3 to 4 minutes or until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes more, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

5. With the mixer on low speed and beating until just combined after each addition, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk. With the mixer on medium to high speed, beat the batter for 20 seconds more.

6. Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter in the prepared pans.  Each cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Transfer the cake in the pan to a wire rack. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack, lift off the pan, and peel off the waxed paper. Let the cake cool completely on the rack.

Adapted from Epicurious

 

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