Darth Cake

This is the third year in a row I’ve made this recipe in some form or another for one or both of my boys’ birthdays. It’s simply the Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” cake recipe, made with Special Dark cocoa powder instead of the standard kind. The results, however, are amazing! The frosting sometimes comes out so dark that it looks black. The cake is soft, springy, and delicious.

I call this Darth Cake because I was typing “dark cake” on my phone and autocorrect jumped in. Surely, it knew something. This cake will tempt you to the Dark Side.

CAKE

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (for Darth Cake, use the Special Dark cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Grease and flour your pans. You can use 2 9 inch round pans, 3 8 inch round pans, or a 13 x 9 pan. If you wish to ensure that your cake will come out of the pan easily, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your pan, then oil and flour over it.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Now, stir in the boiling water. Even a little of it will change the consistency immediately. It’ll go from a thick, brownie-like batter to something like thin pudding.

Pour the batter into your prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick- cake is done when the pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan (the center will fall to roughly even with the edges), then run a dull knife around the edges and invert onto a rack. Cool completely on the rack.

Can be frosted with any frosting you like, but if you want to stick with the theme…

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2/3 cup Special Dark cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar (yes, you need that much- no skimping)
• 1/3 cup milk (maybe a little extra)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa until fully combined. Alternate the powdered sugar and the milk, beating it as smooth as you can. If the frosting is too thick to spread by the time you’ve worked it all in, add a little more milk (not much! A tsp or two at a time) to thin it.

Add the vanilla. Alternatively, you can add 1/4 tsp of mint extract to make dark chocolate mint frosting instead.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

So! This started as a recipe where I was given only the ingredients, and the directions to mix, then bake at 350 degrees until done. I figured out the missing bits, and can give you the full recipe now that I’ve filled in the blanks.

Cake ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups blueberries

Topping ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, cold

Beat the egg, then add the melted butter and the 3/4 cup sugar and mix thoroughly. Put the dry ingredients (baking powder and flour) in a separate bowl, stir to mix. Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in batches. First, 1/3 of the dry, then some milk, then another 1/3 of the dry, the rest of the milk, then the last of the dry. Stir thoroughly after each addition.

Stir in the blueberries. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and pour the batter into the pan. Spread to the edges as best you can.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter, cut into slices or cubes. Rub or cut in the butter* into the mix until it looks like coarse, sugary crumbs. Sprinkle the topping on the batter. (It will cover it pretty thickly.)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Check by poking it with a toothpick in the center- if it comes out dry (no crumbs or batter sticking to it), then the cake is done. Let cool before serving.

*Rub or cut in- a technique for combining butter with dry ingredients. To cut in, use a knife or a pastry cutter and repeatedly cut through the chunks of butter. To rub in, use your fingers and squish the dry ingredients past the butter, but do not close your grip- your fingers should rub past each other and not touch as you work.

Seed Cake

This is Victorian seed cake. It reminds me very much of a pound cake, only less sweet and with a delightfully crunchy crust. The caraway isn’t as strong after baking as it is before, but still a lovely note. Good as a dessert, or a companion to go with your favorite tea. I chose to forego the glaze- I like it without.

Recipe from “An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery” – This style of cake would be what Bilbo had on hand to serve the dwarves.

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup almond meal/flour (you’ll have to check the specialty flours, but most groceries will have this one)
• 1 1/2 Tbs caraway seeds (aka 4 1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup whole milk

Optional glaze-

• 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 tsp almond extract (No almond extract? Try lemon juice.)

Extra butter or no-stick spray for the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the eggs, butter, and sugar together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the almond meal and caraway seeds to the flour mix and stir to combine.

Dump your dry ingredients in with the butter and sugar. Splash the milk on top. Beat it all together until it’s fully mixed. The batter will be thick!

Butter well a loaf pan or 8″ round pan. Get the batter into the pan however you can- you’ll need a spatula to scrape it all out and level it. Give the pan a bit of a shake to help it settle.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out squeaky clean- nothing at all should stick to it!

Let the cake rest in the pan for 20 minutes (loaf pans can rest on their sides). If you buttered it enough, it should slide right out after that. Cool completely.

Optional step- while Victorians didn’t often ice their cakes, if YOU want more sweet to it, you can whip up the glaze once the cake is cool. Whisk the ingredients together, then pour or paint the glaze over the top of the cake. If you like a thicker glaze, add a little more powdered sugar (1/4 cup) to it before putting it on the cake.