Simplest, Easiest Chocolate Cake

 

If you do a reasonable amount of cooking or baking, it’s almost guaranteed that you will have the ingredients to make this ridiculously satisfying cake on hand at any given time. The needed equipment is even basic, with a cake pan being the most exotic requirement. It’s also super quick to make with nothing difficult to do. It even has a fun little trick to it.

This recipe is an adaptation of a “6-minute” chocolate cake in Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. While the way I do it here, does take a bit longer than six minutes, I think it’s the fastest cake I’ve even made. This can totally be your well-kept secret, though, because the cake is fluffy and chocolaty and really much greater than the sum of its parts. Even if you consider effort one of the parts.

I added a layer of rich but equally simple peanut butter frosting to the top of this one-layer cake, which makes it just a tad more celebratory. You could use your favorite chocolate cake topping such as whipped cream, a classic buttery white frosting, cream cheese frosting, or ganache. It is pretty terrific with nothing on it at all, though, or just a dusting of powdered sugar for a finishing touch.

Without the frosting, this is a vegan cake. Instead of the richness of butter or egg yolks, it just gets some oil and a deep dark flavor from a cup of coffee. Instead of volume from egg whites, the batter gets a quick poof from a couple tablespoons of vinegar reacting to baking soda. It’s kind of neat to watch, actually, so if you’re a science-y type like me, it makes for kind of a grand finale. (That’s the fun little trick I mentioned above!)

 

Anyway, this cake is way more deeply, darkly, satisfyingly delicious than it has any right to be. It’s a great recipe to have in your back pocket, and can make you a last-minute dessert hero. Or you can just make it weekly to have on hand. Either way, it will be worth keeping these basic ingredients around (including the frosting ingredients or not) and a few minutes free. It's quick. It's easy. It's good.

Easy Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine salt

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup canola or other neutral-tasting oil

1 cup cold coffee

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

For the frosting

½ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by greasing it or spraying it with cooking spray, and dusting with flour. Cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom of the pan and place it in the pan. Spray or grease the parchment. Set the pan aside.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk together to combine well.

3. In another medium-size bowl, or a large measuring cup, mix together the oil, coffee, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

4. Pour in the vinegar and stir very quickly just until the vinegar is evenly distributed.

5. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread out to make even if needed. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack about 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan, remove the parchment circle, and cool completely on the wire rack.

7. To make the frosting, combine the peanut butter and butter in a medium-size bowl. Beat together with a hand-held mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

8. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate. Spread the frosting just on the top of the cooled cake.

Makes about 8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, Chocolate Cake with Porter and Ganache Topping, Flourless Bittersweet Chocolate Torte, Mulled Wine Chocolate Cake

One year ago: Savory Parmesan Zucchini Bread

Summer Vegetable Hash

There are a few go-to not-really-a-recipe recipes that I rely upon for celebrating or even just using up really great summer produce. Usually it’s hot, tossed pasta dishes like this one or this one; stir fry, like this one; chopped vegetable salads like this one and this one, or soup. After a recent bit of messing around, I’m going to confidently add another category: vegetable hash.

I know, hash sounds so dull, so old fashioned. So lumberjack-y. Well, get over it. This frugal classic can be fresh and lively, a bright medley of sautéed vegetables, pumped up with golden fried potatoes. The method is simple; so simple that you might even call it rustic. But like every other rustic dish that stands the test of time, it’s extremely satisfying. This particular version was surprisingly tasty, the verdant flavors and delicate crunch of browned summer vegetables and new potatoes enhanced by deeply browned onions.

I used yellow summer squash (from my garden) and super-fresh green beans (from someone else’s garden), for my hash, but you can customize what’s in your frying pan. I feel that potatoes are a must for it to be hash, but other forms of summer squash, such as zucchini or patty-pans are no-brainer substitutions. Cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, and sugar snap peas would be good here, too, although cooking times might need to be adjusted.

You could add some protein to this simple hash by stirring in diced ham, cooked bacon, beef or chicken, some seasoned firm tofu cubes, or cooked chickpeas. You could also melt a layer of cheese on top at the end of cooking, or serve it with a fried or poached egg. Bread of some kind is nice on the side. I liked the Rosemary Cheddar Soda Bread I baked the same day (more on that soon), but a crusty country slice or a piece of whole wheat or rye toast would be mighty fine, too.

 

To make a Summer Vegetable Hash, you don’t need a lot of one ingredient or another, just a few handfuls of whatever is fresh or even cooked and left over (adjust cooking times accordingly). You don’t need any special skills or equipment, just a knife and a pan and the ability to use each without hurting yourself. You don’t need to be ready to show off to make hash, you just need to be hungry at breakfast, brunch, lunkfast, dinner, supper or midnight. 

Summer Vegetable Hash

I like to par-cook potatoes before frying them. I usually use the microwave and offer some simple instructions for that here. You could use leftover cooked potatoes, too. Just don’t cook them in the pan as long. They just need to be cooked through and thoroughly browned.

¾ pound thin-skinned potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

½ pound yellow summer squash, cut into ½ to ¾ -inch pieces

4 ounces green beans, stem ends removed, cut into ½ inch lengths

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Partially cook the potatoes. I use the microwave as follows: poke the skins of the potatoes in several places with a fork or sharp knife. Place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Shift the positions of the potatoes in the bowl so those on the bottom are moved to the top. Microwave for 1-2 minutes more depending on the size of the potatoes. The potato flesh should give just slightly when squeezed. Set aside until cool enough to handle. (Or cool and refrigerate for a day or two.)

2. Cut the cooled potatoes into about ½ - ¾ -inch cubes.

3. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat (or use your favorite skillet.) Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the potatoes and another ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook 5-8 minutes, turning the potatoes frequently until they are golden brown.

5. Add the squash, green beans, and ¼ teaspoon more salt. Cook and stir the mixture another 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are well browned and the squash and beans are browned and tender-crisp. The onions will be very brown and caramelized at this point.

6. Stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Cook a minute or two more until the thyme is wilted. Adjust seasonings if needed. Garnish or embellish as desired.

Makes 2 large main-dish servings or 4 side dish servings.

Coming Soon: Rosemary Cheddar Soda Bread and 7 Favorite Summer Muffins

Recipe Revisit: Chickpea Stew with Apricots

This was one of those recipes that I made once, thought was wonderful, and then never made again. I couldn’t recall why this stew wasn’t something I wanted to make often, except, perhaps that it has a lot of parsnips in it, which I only tend to use in the deepest of winter, when there’s not such exciting produce to choose from. I did report having some trouble getting the chickpeas cooked properly using the method of the original recipe, so I sort of rearranged things to improve that.

For starters, I cooked the chickpeas first and separately. I think there was too much acid in the stew to cook the chickpeas along with everything else. That may have been what caused them to stay too firm, no matter how long I cooked the stew. This worked well, and also allowed the stew to be cooked in shifts, each taking a little less time than cooking everything all at once. (My schedule demands this!)

The rest of my adjustments involved streamlining the process, making it more like I make other soups and stews: sauteeing vegetables, stirring in spices, stewing the vegetables with the cooked beans, adding the final touches and seasonings, and adjusting the flavors to taste.

This recipe makes a big, big pot of stew, and could probably be halved. It also makes a subtly flavored stew, slightly sweet from all those parsnips with some fruity and floral notes from the apricots. It’s hearty and satisfying. It’s got a healthy nutritional profile with good doses of protein and fiber. It’s also vegan, if that happens to matter to you.

With its fairly mild flavor profile, this stew has plenty of room for other taste improvisations. The natural sweetness makes me think you could add cinnamon and allspice to the seasonings. Lots more spice, in the form of more chile, or curry powder or paste would be good. Other vegetables, such as bell peppers, could replace the parsnips in other seasons. Add some greens, like spinach or arugula.

Overall, this recipe revisit was a success. I made the necessary changes to make the process more approachable. I got more ideas on how to vary the flavors satisfactorily. And, most importantly, I made a big pot of comforting stew to warm us from the inside in this winter that will not end.

Chickpea Stew with Parsnips and Dried Apricots

If you start with cooked chickpeas, you will need 3 ½- 4 cups.

I think you could cut the recipe quantities in half would good results. You could also adjust the spices and seasonings to your personal taste.

If you get your chickpeas (or any dried beans) very fresh, you may not need to soak them before cooking. I usually have good results with a 6-8 hour soak.

12 ounces dried chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrot, about ½ inch dice

2 cups chopped parsnip, about ½ inch dice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

6 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 cup finely chopped dried apricots

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Chopped fresh parsley for serving

1. Rinse the dried chickpeas and sort out any debris or chickpeas that don’t look good. Place the chickpeas in a large pot or bowl. Cover with at least 2 inches of water. Let stand 6-8 hours.

2. Drain the soaking chickpeas. Return them to the pot and cover with a few inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook the beans at a low boil until they are soft but not yet falling apart. This could take up to an hour, and can be done a day or two ahead. Drain the cooked chickpeas and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 quart or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and parsnip. Cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes, or until the onion appears softened and translucent.

4. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook about one minute, stirring frequently. Add the cooked chickpeas, bay leaves and water.

5. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Cook at a gentle boil until the vegetables are very tender, about 35-45 minutes.

6. Stir in the apricots and cook until they are soft. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste the stew for seasonings and adjust as desired, especially for salt and acid. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley.

Makes a big pot of stew, probably about 8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Split Pea and Vegetable Curry, Stewed Beans with Bacon and Caramelized Onions, White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Rosemary

One year ago: Curry Carrot Soup