Another Year Older

Today was spent schooling, filling cups of juice for the fever-girl (she is getting a little better), and baking. No crafting today. Just baking and oh, yes, laundry. (The never-ending pile of it.) But what I baked was one of my husband's favorites. Let me just call it 'The 'Hip'pening' but Forgiving Chocolate Cake'. This one is completely fattening but good - just a wee slice will do. Of course I think we all agreed that it tastes so much better with raspberries than strawberries, but since I couldn't leave a sick child for a quick run to the grocery, strawberries made a fine runner-up. What was the occasion you ask? My husband's birthday.

Hippening But Forgiving Chocolate Cake

½ cup very strong coffee
16 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
½ lb butter (2 sticks), softened
¼ cup sugar
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream (or more to taste)
1 tsp vanilla, Kahlua or other liqueur
3 Tbsp 10x (confectioner’s) sugar
1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam (optional)
2 half pints raspberries (leave whole) or 1/2 lb. strawberries, sliced

Spray a fluted 8” round metal pan or 8-9” metal spring form pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put ¾ of chocolate chips & coffee together over double boiler. (I don’t have this, so I just put the stuff into a metal bowl set in a pan of simmering water on stove). Stir chips with wooden spoon until they melt. Remove from heat. Add butter, sugar, eggs, salt & vanilla. Mix w/mixer until smooth. Stir in leftover chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan of your choice & bake 30-40 min or until the top forms a crust. Let cool on rack. Invert onto large plate. **Here’s the forgiving part: don’t be alarmed if all of the cake doesn’t come slide off the pan. “Oh no! There’s a hole in my cake!” Not to worry. Scrape it off & pat it down onto the cake to fill in the hole. This will be covered with whipped cream and no one will know.** If using jam, spread this on top of cake now.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.

Before ready to serve, whip cream, sugar & vanilla together until stiff but not dry. Put onto cake. Top with raspberries or sliced strawberries. **Here’s the ‘hip’pening part: eat!**