Busy Day Chocolate Cake

Holy smokes...has it really been two months since I posted? Well, you're in luck, because I've been doing lots of cooking and baking (over the holidays, don't ya know), and I have new recipes to post! Here's the first one, and it's really quick to make. And, evidently it's really quick to disappear, too, at least in our household. This is as close as I've come to getting a picture of the cake.


Told you it was quick to disappear.

Anyways, this recipe comes from Lucinda Scala Quinn, and I've been quite impressed with her show Mad Hungry. I'm glad to see that she's encouraging families to eat more meals together and get involved in meal preparation. I've tried several of her recipes, and so far, so good. Make this cake and get it in the oven just before you sit down to eat. (She even suggests that you mix everything together in the same pan you bake the cake, but I had problems with sticking.) By the time you're done, the cake will be ready. It's best when served warm. Lucinda suggests topping with buttercream frosting, but I think a dollop of sweetened whipped cream is all it needs.

Busy Day Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tsps. instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and coarse salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, white vinegar, and cold water. Whisk until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with sweeteed whipped cream or just a fork.

Adapted from Lucinda Scala Quinn