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Reclaiming chocolate
Well, it’s no secret that everyone loves chocolate cake right? I mean, I’m not going to lie and tell you that I’ve always been it’s biggest fan. When I was a kid, I used to get severe migraines. In order to control them and understand them, my doctor began eliminating foods. And the food that was chopped from the block first was chocolate. It meant that I was the weird kid in school who couldn’t eat candy - more specifically chocolate. And what kid doesn’t like to eat chocolate.
Overtime my birthday cakes morphed into variations of vanilla sponges and I started to actually believe that I didn’t like chocolate cake. I essentially believed what I was told - that chocolate was the root to all those insufferable hours of migraines. As time went by, my migraines wained off (touch wood) and I began to eat the suspected problem foods again - berries of all kinds and chocolate being the top indicators. I still can’t drink any sort of diet drinks as the fake sugars trigger automatic headaches but that’s always been ok with me - I much prefer a real Coca-Cola any day!
Now that I’m in my 30s and own approximately 30 or more cook books, I occasionally come across a chocolate cake or two in one of the many hardbound pages. This time I needed a recipe for a catered lunch dessert and who doesn’t love an afternoon chocolate cake pick-me-up? As I flipped through the many pages of the towered high cookbooks, I found the most interesting to be Samin Nostrat’s recipe for her Midnight Chocolate Cake. It’s decadent and moist yet extremely easy to make. No need for special equipment - although if you live in the UK/Europe the recipe reads in the metric system which I’ve now completely eradicated in my cooking. In order to make this cake, I went out, purchased metric measuring cups and got to work.
Share a slice
In my opinion, there’s nothing better than sharing a recipe with a friend. It means they liked it so much, they had to be able to recreate it over and over again. Flattering isn’t it? Which is why I love this newsletter so much. It’s a constant exchange with a friend. The sharing of recipes, creations, writing, daily musing, a drink…or two - it’s what we do and something that makes us feel human in this strange world we live in. This is why I’ve decided to open up an easy way to share this newsletter with your friends!
As we approach the end of the year, I thought, what’s my goal for writing this newsletter and sharing these - sometimes - random thoughts and recipes with you all? And then it clicked. For me this place is all about community. A community of shared interests, a space that (I hope) can bring an ounce (or gram) of joy into your week or month, and a place where we can share something delicious. The goal for growth this year is to reach a whopping 500 subscribers by the year’s end…with your help.
How are we going to do that?! Through a fun and easy referral program. As you refer friends, you’ll receive perks along the way. Did you like this recipe for chocolate cake? Share it with a friend who you think might like it too and we’re both on our way to something great! In all honesty, I want this growth to feel natural - just like this newsletter has felt for me. I want it to to feel personal and not contrived. So if you’d like to keep this chocolate cake recipe and newsletter all to yourself, that’s great too. But if you like it or, hopefully, love it enough to share a slice…my sincerest thank you!
You might be thinking, what’s the 2024 goal? I’ve thought about it a lot. I have some fun ideas that I think you’ll love. Some include video recipes, private chat groups or social spaces, and maybe a more frequent podcast? But that’s a discussion for another day. Today, I hope you can help make this year’s goal a reality! En route to 500…
How to share
If you enjoy a standing reservation, it would mean the world to me if you invited friends to subscribe and read with us. If you refer friends, you will receive benefits that will unlock reader perks!
1. Share a standing reservation. When you use the referral link below, or the “Share” button on any post, you'll get credit for any new subscribers. Simply send the link in a text, email, or share it on social media with friends.
2. Earn benefits. When more friends use your referral link to subscribe, you’ll receive special benefits.
Get My top 3 picks in Rome for 4 referrals
Get My sourdough pizza recipe for 8 referrals
Get 30 min Italian travel call for 25 referrals
Thanks so much and happy sharing!
Samin Nostrat’s Midnight Chocolate Cake
Samin needs no referral from me, but friends (I wish we were friends) help friends out. I’m coining this cake ‘the revenge chocolate cake’. It’s the chocolate cake that reminded me just how much I love a chocolate cake.
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp fine sea salt
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup neutral oil
1-1/2 cups of boiling water or fresh brewed coffee (I used coffee)
2 large eggs at room temp
To serve: serve with whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans.
In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, salt, flour and baking soda) - sift into a large bowl. In a medium bowl stir vanilla and oil together and add the coffee to the oil and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Incorporate the eggs one by one until the batter is smooth - the batter will be thin. Divide between the two cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream between the layers or simply with powdered sugar.
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige
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Let’s chat!
Have you tried the recipe? Let me know in the comments below or share with me on Instagram. Would love to chat.
Need a happy moment?
We wrapped out October with some pumpkin carving. Tis the season right? I obviously made roasted pumpkin seeds - salt, pepper, and a touch of cinnamon because, why not?!
You know I’m the same way with chocolate! When that time of the month rolls around, there’s nothing more I want than those that I can’t have. I might just have to make this as I’m due! 😂 thank you for sharing love and yay let’s go 500!!!