Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mint Chocolate Cake.

December 6, 2010

There is one fabulous thing about this cake that makes it better than every other cake: simplicity.

All you have to do is throw every ingredient into your food processor and whirl away. Dump it in the pan, set it in the oven, and go do your thing for an hour.

My thing includes not cleaning up the mess I’ve made in the kitchen, then later wondering why the kitchen is such a disgrace.

And tasting recipe ingredients for quality control purposes.

In case you’re wondering, yes, Mr. How Sweet is still living here even though this is the second chocolate + mint combo I have made in a week. But that’s only because I balance it out with chicken, steak, chicken fingers, eggs, and steak. Otherwise, he’d be out.

Back away from the batter. Slowly.

Some batters and dough make my head spin.

This is one of them. I think it is a combination of the silky deliciousness and ease of recipe.

It comes out tasting like a rich, warm, dense peppermint pattie.

I love that this “cake” is technically a quick bread, because then I can compare it to banana bread and eat it for breakfast. Or for a “healthy” snack.

At least, I could do that until I decided to drip pure, melted dark chocolate on top. This was the best idea I’ve had since the cake batter bark. The chocolate slides down into the cracks and crevices of the loaf which leaves bits of chocolate inside the cake.

And it’s fabulous both warm and cold – just store it in the fridge and the chocolate hardens like fudge on top. You can gift this cake too – buy a few small/medium ceramic loaf pans, bake the cake, tie it up in a bow and give it as a hostess gift. You can never go wrong with chocolate.

I like to fatten people up.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mint Chocolate Cake

from Nigella

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tablespoon good-quality vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup chocolate chips, tossed with flour

3/4 cups mint chips, tossed with flour

Preheat oven to 325.

In a food processor, add all ingredients except for boiling water, chocolate and mint chips, and blend. Once combined, stream in boiling water and blend until chocolate batter is smooth. Remove lid and blade, scraping off any excess batter. Toss chocolate and mint chips with flour (this prevents them from falling to the bottom), and fold into batter.

Spray loaf pan with cooking spray and pour in batter. Set loaf pan on a baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until cake is no longer jiggly. I baked mine for 60 minutes exactly. Let cake cool completely before removing it from pan.

Note: I used a 10 x 6 1/2 x 3 loaf pan.

Dark Chocolate Glaze

8 ounces dark chocolate (I used Lindt)

Melt chocolate in either the microwave or a double boiled and drizzle over cake.

I’m off to the dentist. I have no idea why I’d have to get a cavity filled. As soon as I come home, I’m sinking my teeth into this. It will feel so dirty.