Portrait of a Chocolate Cake

It all started with Google. Doesn't everything these days seem to start with Google? Well, I was chatting with Turner, who was at work, when I realized that my image on Google Talk has been a penguin for too long. Out of the sparse options Google provides for your image, I chose the chocolate cake. Who wouldn't choose a chocolate cake when given the option of that or a frog?

My new clip art in place, I chatted away, always keeping that cake in the corner of my eye. Subconsciously it started telling me that I wanted chocolate cake. Have you ever gotten off your lazy butt and baked and frosted a chocolate cake because a piece of clip art told you to? Now I have.

I found this simple recipe on a fellow food blog for an Easy One-Layer Chocolate Cake. I was in no mood to mess around with layers or fillings. I just wanted cake!

It was as easy as ripping open a box of cake mix and adding the wet ingredients. Honestly, I don't know why anyone bakes with boxes anymore. The real deal is almost foul proof, especially considering that the cake was baked in my toaster oven. So if you've never made a cake from scratch, try this one. Your skills will astound you and also your loved ones who are also fond of chocolate cake.

For the frosting, I followed the beat of my own drummer. I melted a few ounces of butter, a bar of Dove dark chocolate, and a bit of sugar. After it came off the heat, I sprinkled in some corn starch because it wasn't thickening like I wanted. What can I say, I'm impatient. That's why I can't sew. While the frosting didn't turn out like buttercream or ganache, it gave the cake an extra boost and a glistening topcoat. I must say, this cake has some serious sex appeal.


Immediately after I poured the frosting over the cake, I cut into it. My reasoning was that the late afternoon light would make for a great picture, and I wanted to eat it. So with a shot glass full of the leftover milk, my corner piece of cake posed for its portrait.