Died-And-Went-To-Heaven Chocolate Cake

Around 1996, when the internet was in its infancy, few people were going online, there weren't any web-based forums and all you have are either the techie's bulletin boards (BBs) or the Usenet. I discovered the latter and it was like a hallelujiah moment for me, like an alladin's cave was opened. I saw hundreds, no maybe more than a thousand discussion groups that talk about, chat, argue on things and topics ranging from gardening to national cultures. It was a virtual circus and it was so wonderful to discover it and be among people online. I plunged right in and subscribed to several discussion groups of which my favourites were rec.food.cooking (RFC), rec.food.recipes (RFR), and soc.culture.filipino (SCF). But of course hands down, the group that I read the most is the RFC. It attracted a lot of die hard foodies, chefs, talented cooks, or just the plain curious. I gained a lot of cooking tips, recipes, where to find the best restaurants in which cities, etc. The people you can find there are a great mix and it's always entertaining to read the exchange of ideas, recipes and insults (flaming) that were brewed by this diverse combinations. I will always recall with fondness the 'characters' that I've 'met' there and in the process acquired a number of great recipes from these generous cooks and foodies. So here's to you RFC - cheers!

You may have a hint now where this is going, this recipe is from an RFCer - Barb Schaller. She has a number of interestingly titled recipes in the unofficial RFC website of signature dishes. This one is quite easy to make, besides the buttermilk, all the other ingredients can be easily perused wherever you are in the world. And you don't have to do it in a Bundt or tube pan; any pan would do, you just have to adjust the baking times for these. The cake is a bit on the fudgy side and not very sweet which suits me quite well. Finally, this was done by my son as a birthday gift for his sister who had her birthday last Sunday 24th October. Of course his mum did all the mopping up afterwards - heh - bummer!




Died-and-Went-to-Heaven Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs - lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot strong black coffee

*Icing:
1 cup icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp buttermilk or plain milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 12-cup Bundt pan (or tube pan) or coat it with non-stick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, invert and shake out the excess.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin.)
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean.
6. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely.

*For the icing: Mix buttermilk with the icing sugar enough to make a thick but pourable icing. Set cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing on top.

*Note: If you don't have any buttermilk, you can make some: for every cup of buttermilk, put in 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice in a non-metal container then add milk to make 1 cup; do not stir, let stand and curdle for about 5 minutes.


Music While Baking: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - Aretha Franklin
                               What I'd Say - Ray Charles
                               Beautiful - Christina Aguilera