First week back in school! As usual, I'm not that excited. Homework and stress is never fun. I will say, though, that this quarter didn't start off too bad. Yes, I already have work to do and I still haven't figured out my work situation yet, but at least two out of three classes don't seem too intense. The third, unfortunately, will be a pain. Hopefully I can make it through without going insane. At least I'll be relaxing with yoga? Unless I get stressed from not being flexible enough to do yoga.
If all else fails, at least I'll have baking and chocolate.
This week I decided to make the Everyday Chocolate Cake from Smitten Kitchen. The recipes posted on SK are always pretty good, not to mention the wonderful pictures that have the power to make readers drool. I've had my eye on this cake ever since the post was published in August, and yesterday seemed the perfect day to make it since 1. Mallory and Sarah wanted chocolate and 2. it's a one-bowl recipe. Can't ask for anything better.
Preparing the batter for this cake was really easy. I didn't make that many changes: I substituted nonfat yogurt for buttermilk (that's all I had); dark brown sugar for light brown sugar and decreased the amount very slightly (I didn't have enough); added 1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips; and topped the cake off with a handful of chocolate chips on top. The addition of chocolate chips was Sarah's request, and I threw in some coconut just because I had some. The only problem I had when baking this cake was that I dropped the timer halfway through baking and completely lost track of how long the it was in the oven. I ended up setting and resetting the timer numerous times, frequently checking the cake to make sure that it didn't get burnt.
The outcome: chocolate-y deliciousness. Of course, it doesn't look anything like the one in Smitten Kitchen because I didn't use the right pan and I added chocolate chips and coconut. I also used a comparatively low quality cocoa (if only I had the money to buy and use Valrhona cocoa... maybe when I get a better-paying job), so the color is lighter. You can't taste much of the coconut because I didn't add enough, but it adds texture to the cake. If I bake this again, I'd add some rum (maybe coconut-flavored rum?) and more coconut. Or bake it without any additions.
First week is over, ten more weeks to go! At least I have some chocolate cake and tea. That should keep me sane... for now.
For next time:
1. use buttermilk
2. don't add chocolate chips (Sarah would hate me) or coconut
3. bake it in the proper dish (if I ever get a loaf pan)
recipe from smittenkitchen.com
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