Chocolate Emergency Cake

If you love chocolate, you'll know what I'm talking about.  Sometimes you get this deep, almost painful hunger for chocolate.  Sometimes it's related to stress, other times not.  All you know is that when you start feeling it, a feeling I can only describe as a "longing", you must fully satiate your need. This recipe does just that and then some.  With this cake, not only do you get to enjoy moist, fluffy, chocolate Nirvana, it only requires about 15-20 minutes of prep time.  After about 50 minutes of bake time, it's just a short wait before you can top your cake with more chocolate-yumminess, and finally knock that pesky coco-monkey off your back.

I made this cake for my good friend Erika on her 28th Birthday.  She has a problem... it's pretty bad, and fortunately I share her affliction.  She should really join chocoholics anonymous at some point, but until then I guess I'll be a real friend and completely enable her.  When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she said chocolate, moist, but not too dense, fluffy, but not to fluffy, and of course, topped with chocolate frosting.  I found the following recipe and used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour.  I also used light mayo.  This is my new favorite cake recipe, and probably will be for a long time.  It's just soooo good, and so easy to make! You'll love it!

Cake Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose GF flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (make sure it's GF)

Frosting Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 tblsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 sticks of butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar 
• 1 tblsp. instant coffee (optional)

Cake Baking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (f). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Lightly coat an 8-inch square pan/dish with cooking spray (GF of course).
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, vanilla and water together. Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, while scraping the sides of the bowl.  You don't want any chocolate to get away do you?  No, of course you don't.  Smooth the top and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs attached (about 40 minutes).  
4. Cook the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about an hour.  Now it's time to add the frosting!

Chocolate Icing Directions

1. Cut 5 ounces of chocolate up into chunks.  Using a cheese-grater, grate up the remaining 3 ounces onto wax paper (or a plate).
2. Throw the chocolate chunks, butter chunks, salt and instant coffee into a small pot on low heat. Stir regularly as it slowly melts.
3. In the meantime, prepare an electric mixer.  Whisk the two cups of confectioners' sugar with the cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
4. Set the electric mixer on low and combine the melted chocolate with the sugar.  Once combined, increase the speed to med-high and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Final Directions

• Using a spatula or a spoon, spread the icing onto the cooled cake.  Once your satisfied with your paint job, take the chocolate shavings and sprinkle over the cake.  I kind of made a chute with wax paper and slowly poured the shavings, like chocolate rain, onto the cake.
• Get a tall glass of milk (or soy milk) and get ready for a little slice of heaven...