You'd imagine I'd have a cake for every occasion but I don't. I've been too fickle a baker, let me find something, better, some new. But alas, I've been burned too many times. Maybe I'm of the age (or literally of the experience) that I'm ready to settle into MY recipe for X, Y or in this case Chocolate Cake. (The frosting is still up for debate.)

More than once my friends and I have celebrated Ms Martha Stewart's birthday. It's August 3rd. I will save the poetic waxing for 3rd wave feminism due to her on a different blog post, but suffice it to say, she gave us permission to love our homes. Our mothers were of the mind to eschew all things related to domesticity, while we were left to Kraft Mac and Cheese and polyester blend wrinkle free sheets. Now we are allowed to kick ass at home AND at work. It’s a wonderful time to be alive.

But the cake.

12 ounces butter, room temperature

2.25 cups sugar

0.75 cup Dutch processed cocoa, sifted

0.50 cup boiling water

1 cup milk

1 cup cake flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

0.25 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 eggs

350 degrees. Prepare 3 deep 8 or 9-inch pans, sprayed and parchment on the bottom. 

Cream butter and sugar.  Make a paste of the water and cocoa. Cool then add the milk. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Into the butter add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the 1/3rd of the flour and half the cocoa. Scrape the sides. Add the second third of the flour and the last of the cocoa mix well and scrape again. Add the last of the flour. 

Pour into pans. Bake 35 to 50 minutes depending on pan size. 

Frosting

3 cup whipping cream

24 ounces chocolate chips

1 tablespoons corn syrup

Heat the whipping cream to boil. Off the heat. Add the chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand 5 minutes. Whip vigorously and it will come together.  Chill until you have a spreading consistency. It is very loose at first. Make at least 2 hours before frosting the cake.