Suzanne's Chocolate Cake
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My friend Suzanne served in the Peace Corps for two years in Kenya in the late Eighties. The Peace Corps at that time published a recipe book for their volunteers that provided a chocolate cake recipe that was special in that one could mix it in one pot, use vegetable oil, which was more readily available than butter, and cook in the same pot over a charcoal brazier. Suzanne perfected the recipe, especially for cooking over the brazier, and since she had the only home for miles around with a cement floor, a tin roof, and good water, she would often play hostess to nearby volunteers and serve them this cake (usually sans frosting).
Once Suzanne returned to the States, she then spent months of trial and error, and several burnt cakes, to adjust the recipe for oven cooking (and layering and frosting). It is now her family's favorite cake, which they dub "Kenya Cake". A rich, easy to make chocolate cake, with a great history. Thanks so much Suzanne!
Suzanne's Chocolate Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp water
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 5 large or 4 extra large/jumbo eggs
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
Frosting:
- 1 box powdered sugar (1 pound or 454 grams)
- 3/4 cup cocoa (use Van Houten, Droste, or other dark, high quality alkalized unsweetened cocoa)
- A flavoring liquid (water, vanilla, rum, cognac, kirsch, or amaretto)
- 1 1/2 cup butter - firm, not cold, not too soft
Method
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1 In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa.
2 Add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of water and 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Mix for 1 minute.
3 Add eggs, 3/4 cup of water, vanilla. Mix 5-6 minutes with a whisk, 3-4 minutes with a hand mixer, or 2 minutes with a KitchenAid mixer.
4 Pour into three 10" cake pans, bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes (adjust for convection); test by placing and removing a toothpick through the center at 25 minutes. When toothpick comes out clean, loosen from pans and then put back in the pans. Let cakes cool for 15 minutes. Keep in the pans, wrap in foil, and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Frosting:
This part is a little harder as it is really done to taste.
1 Put powdered sugar and 3/4 cup cocoa into a food processor. Pulse until blended.
2 Drizzle in, until about the consistency of firm butter, several tablespoons of flavoring liquid (water if you aren't looking for flavor beyond the cocoa and butter). To not put in too much liquid, but if you do, add cocoa or sugar. Taste. When the flavor and consistency is right,
3 add 1 1/2 cup of butter (firm, not cold and not too soft). A good rule of thumb is that both the butter and the sugar mixture should be slightly firmer than you would want it to be to spread it, since the mixing action of the food processor will warm it slightly. Pulse until blended.
Assembling the cake:
Remove the cakes from the freezer and from their pans. Stack, frosting each layer as you go. Let sit for an hour before serving.
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Can we also have the instructions for cooking the cake in a pot over a charcoal brazier (or over a fire)? ;-)