Category Archives: Cakes

This recipe is famous. Its think been on NPR and in the New York Times and is from the book Cooking for Mr. Latte, A Food Lovers Courtship, With Recipes by Amanda Hesser (New York Times Magazine Food Editor.)  Hesser also wrote The Cook and The Gardener.  I have made this a few times over the past 8!? years.  When I made the recipe below I thought the Hessers’ most certainly cracked the chocolate cake code! Amanda Hesser tells the story of how her mom would bake this late at night. Can you imagine the aroma of a chocolate cake baking and the sound of your mom in the kitchen while you are nestled under the covers about to dream up sugarplum fairies?  In the morning the kids would watch their mom frost the cake while they ate breakfast. Sounds like the American Dream…right?
Chocolate Dump-It Cake By Amanda Hesser adapted from Judith Hesser
I have always used a really old and probably dangerous tube pan that belonged to my grandmother. I butter and flour the pan & then put parchment to fit bottom and butter and flour parchment..
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter + more for greasing the pan
2 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Icing
1 1/2 cups Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sour cream-at room temperature
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Put the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until blended & melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While chocolate mixture is cooling, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, stir milk & vinegar together. Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan.
3. Once chocolate mixture is cooled, whisk in the milk mixture and then the eggs. In several additions & without overmixing whisk in dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla & whisk once or twice to blend. “Dump” the batter into the greased tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a rack. The authors tip is to place a ring of wax paper on top of the cake so you have something to grab onto when turning it out..) Let cool completely.
4. To make icing: melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then cool to room temp. It is very important that the chocolate and sour cream be the same temperature, otherwise the icing will be lumpy or grainy. Test it by stirring a little of the sour cream and chocolate together in a bowl; if it mixes smoothly, it’s ready. Stir in sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth.
5. When cake is cool, frost as is.. or cut in half to have another layer of icing. Store the cake in the fridge. Love the cake. Right now all I have is a not so good unfrosted picture…