"Died and Went To Heaven" Chocolate Bundt Cake...and "When I'm Sixty-Four"

What do you think is the right age 
for your kids to leave the nest?

 20's? 

30's? 

60's????

I'm freaking out a wee bit that Junior Goo Shoes 

just finished his freshman year of high school.

"You know, I only have three more years

that I'm living here full time."

I feel a little nauseous when he says it,

because this, I know...is true.

As I try to wrap my brain around the fact

that in three short years, my baby boy

will be off to college,

I'm reminded of a conversation we had 

back when Junior Goo Shoes was about six years old.

We were in the car, when a little voice from the back seat said,

"So when am I done with you guys?"

Mr. Goo Shoes and I looked at each other,

with "Huh?" faces.

"You know, like when do we separate,

and I go live someplace else without you?"

We explained that he'd probably leave us

when he went off to college, 

and after graduation, he may want to get his own place.

"NO WAY!!! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU GUYS

UNTIL I'M IN MY SIXTIES!"

Please, don't think any less of me,

but a little piece of me said, "Phew."

Of course, I'll be well over 100 by then, but I'm good with that.

I wish I could hit rewind to try to figure out

why that thought came into his little head.

Anyway, this is what's going 

through my head 

as we close the book on another school year...

and I think I may have shed a few tears 

into the batter of the chocolate bundt cake

that I made for Teacher Appreciation Day.

No wonder it tasted better than usual.  

I've been making this recipe for years.

A very good friend gave it to me,

and she got it from  
The Eating Well New Favorites Cookbook.

Now, I can hear you saying that the last thing

you need is another chocolate cake recipe.

Normally, I'd agree with you, but not this time. 

Do you think I would have posted this,
if it were just any chocolate cake? 

The cookbook called it

"Died and Went to Heaven Chocolate Cake,"

so it's not just me saying it's special.

This cake is like a little black dress...

one that you need to have on hand, 

because it works in a number of social situations.

Dress it down...

 and it's a great cake to serve

for brunch...
 

Dress it up by putting it on a pretty plate...
adding some fresh whipped cream and berries...

or ice cream and chocolate sauce,

or a drizzle of caramel sauce...

and it will hold its own at the fanciest of dinner parties. 

The Dutch-process cocoa powder is definitely preferable,

but I have made it with regular cocoa powder in a pinch,
and it was still yumscious. 

The batter is very thin...
so don't freak out and think that you made a mistake. 

I discovered by accident that this cake is much better

if you make it a day in advance,

and refrigerate it, once it's cooled.

It gets very dense and moist.

 I usually pour the glaze over it,

but because I had to wrap it up and take it to school,

I sprinkled it with powdered sugar this time.

I pre-cut it, and took a piece out 

so that I had something to photograph,

and re-arranged the slices, 

so no one could tell one was missing, heh heh.
I made some of the icing to drizzle over the slice.

"Died and Went to Heaven" Chocolate Bundt Cake

Recipe courtesy of The Eating Well New Favorites Cookbook

1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup white sugar 
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt 
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil, preferably canola
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot strong black coffee

ICING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp buttermilk or lowfat milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Lightly oil a 12-cup Bundt pan  or coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, shaking out excess.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on minimum speed for 2 minutes. 

Whisk in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. 
When it is completely cool, remove from pan.

For Icing:
In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing over the top.

Serves 16. 

222 calories per serving; 2 G protein, 4 G fat, 43 g carbohydrate; 274 mg sodium, 27 mg cholesterol

Give this a try, and I'm betting you'll want it to be a staple in your dessert wardrobe.

Now if I could only get this song out of my head...

"Will you still need me, 

will you still feed me

when I'm 64?"

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