Hot Chocolate Cake

For the people who are from America or Asia (let me call them "we" :) :)) when we order a cup of hot chocolate at cafe or restaurant in Barcelona, we can't get what we want.

For us hot chocolate is chocolate milk being heat up, how hard to understand? No? Yes...

In Barcelona, they give us a cup (regular coffee cup) of melted chocolate (think of fondue, or ganach...). People usually would order a pastry as well: dip it in the melted chocolate, the chocolate keeps dripping when the pastry is being sent to the mouths. Very messy, but very sinful, very delicious.

But we still want our cup of "hot chocolate (milk)"... just like what we use to have in America, or in Asia, particularly during the winter time.

I tried using other names when I ordered it.

Like, 'chocolate caliente (hot)', and emphasized 'chocolate con (with) leche (milk)'. The waiter gladly said 'si (yes)', then gladly sent me their type of hot chocolate. Why?!!! (because the chocolate they melted in not from dark chocolate but milk chocolate, they are right again!)

Sort of a silent protest. I ordered their type of hot chocolate, plus one more cup of hot milk, then mixed them together (but they couldn't combine...), just wanted to show how weird I was, or how inadequate their menu was. May be that would make them feel interested, and ask me what I really want? Nope. waiters here are very professional, they faithfully do my order...

Don't get me wrong. I never feel upset, or frustrated. Do you know how happy I was when I finally found out how to order our hot chocolate? Life is full of surprises while venturing a new living, new custom, new language and new cooking.

By the way, the chocolate used in this cake simply is our type... chocolate milk, being heat up :)

To make this cake as-always, combining dry ingredients with wet ingredients. One thing is really surprising... although I came across this (old) technique some years ago, until today I still feel excited while doing it... the wet ingredients include a cup of boiling liquid. The cake will be slightly taller, and lighter.

I would like to thank the author of the following recipe, however, I got it off from internet sometimes ago and now cannot find out his/her name. The original recipe uses boiling water, I replace it with boiling chocolate milk, just to make the cake more rich, it is already good enough for me even without frosting.

Hot Chocolate Cake

(note: thanks for Helen telling me the source of this recipe. It is from Hershey's)

Ingredients: (yield 13" x 9" cake)

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• a good pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tsps vanilla essence
• 1 cup of chocolate milk
• 2 cups of sugar

How-to

• Pre-heat the oven to 350
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk the eggs, the skim milk, vanilla and the oil until cooperated.
• Bring the chocolate milk and sugar to boil, keep simmering when you're doing the following steps.
• First to combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture, then pour the boiling chocolate milk in, (you have to do the next very quick), use a mixing spoon or a sturdy whisk to blend everything. Immediately pour the batter into a baking pan, send it to oven right away.
• Bake it about 35 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake, when it comes out (almost) clean, the cake is done.

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