Go To Birthday Cake

If you read this blog when I was actively watching (and complaining about) Top Chef, you are already familiar with my feelings about the contestant's inability to make dessert that is not a) savory ice cream or b) a rustic tart. This weekend I found the cake recipe that I will now memorize and forever have up my sleeve for dessert emergencies or....professional cooking contests. It's a pretty basic chocolate cake but it turned out extremely moist with a springy, spongy crumb and it wasn't overly sweet. This makes it an ideal cake for dressing up. It could go the route of Black Forrest, or salted caramel...I just slapped some whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate on it. Please make this:

Perfect, Easy Chocolate Cake (sent in by a friend, original source unknown)

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil canola or vegetable
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup HOT coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
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1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease and flour your cake pan(s) (2 round, or 1 sheet).
3. Add all dry ingredients (except sugar) to a bowl and whisk to combine.
4. In mixer, add sugar and oil and mix to combine.
5. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
6. Slowly add milk, coffee and vanilla extract.
7. Add dry ingredients in increments with mixer on low speed.
8. Add sour cream and stir to combine.
9. Pour into cake pans and transfer to oven.
10. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Here's how it looked before I finished frosting, which was a lot like an Oreo cookie.


And here's how it looked being lifted up and served to a hungry Britta.