Musing on Life, Love, and Chocolate Cake...

It's Friday, and as promised, all the names of anyone who commented on my blog post or Facebook went into a hat and my sweet hubby picked a name. The winner is....Bleu! Now all you need to do is send me your address, and Monday, I'll mail you the most fabulous chocolate cake ever.          I would love a picture of you enjoying a slice if you would like to send me one. 

For everyone else, here's the recipe. I hope it becomes one of your favorites. If you have never made a cake from scratch before, it's very easy. I really do dump everything in a bowl, mix and bake.

Nancy’s Everyday Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar

½ C butter (one stick)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 C milk

½ C cocoa powder or 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate

 2½ C flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 C very hot water

Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute.  In a mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add chocolate slowly.  Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, alternating with milk.  Mix well for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the hot water.  This batter will be very liquidly.  Mix until well blended.  Pour into a buttered 13x9-inch baking pan or 2 round cake pans. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.  Cool before frosting if you have time.  It is wonderful warm too. This recipe makes great cupcakes too.

The Most Wonderful Chocolate Frosting in the World

[It takes all of 5 minutes]

Bring to a soft boil: [just long enough to melt chocolate and butter]

1 stick of butter

4 Tbs. cocoa or 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate

          ¼ C of milk

Pour over 1 pound of powdered sugar. Mix until creamy and pour over cake. If you can't wait for the cake to cool, no problem. Once the icing cools on the cake, it will look and taste like thick fudge. Enjoy!

Musings on Life, Love, and Chocolate Cake…

While I was developing my blog and website, I spent hours brainstorming taglines. I felt the blog needed a great phrase that not only defined me, but defined my voice– who I am as a writer. That was a lot pressure to place on a poor little tagline. But after driving myself, my family, and my writing buddies batty, here are some of my favorites: Don't Trust the Chocolate Cake, Romance with Dangerous Curves, Danger Over Every Curve, Musings on Life, Love, and Chocolate Cake [the last one was my idea]. As I mused over what to choose, the whole chocolate cake thing kept coming back to me.

So what’s romantic suspense-y about chocolate cake? Well, NOTHING and EVERYTHING. In my opinion, chocolate cake is one of God’s gifts to mankind. Without simple pleasures like chocolate cake, life’s just too hard. Why write at all?

I can list all the benefits of chocolate cake like protein, fiber…but I won’t put you through that and get to my point.

I have a little contest in mind. If you leave a comment about why chocolate cake is so important in your life, and what life would be without it, I’ll enter your name in a drawing. And the winner receives…drum roll please… YEP, you guessed it― one of my famous chocolate cakes mailed in a United States Post Office bulk box right to your door. It’s made from scratch and freezes beautifully. I have sent this cake to college kids, friends, family members and it’s arrived still amazingly, fantastically delicious.

My only condition for receiving this gift is a picture of you enjoying the cake for the world to see. And for all of you who didn’t win, when you come back to check the contest results,  scroll down and the recipe will be there for the making. But for now, practice on ...

The Most Wonderful Chocolate Frosting in the World

[This takes all of 5 minutes. I suggest you double it. One recipe for the cake, the other for your spoon.]

Bring to a soft boil or until everything is well blended:

1 stick of butter

4 Tbs. cocoa or 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate

¼ C of milk

Pour over 1 pound of powdered sugar.  Mix well. 

Enjoy with a good book and soft romantic music.