It’s hard to believe that a year ago today I started my little blog. I wasn’t sure if anyone would read it; after all, there are so many food blogs out there. I wasn’t looking for thousands of readers. What I was hoping for was a loyal following that would enjoy reading what I had to say and be inspired to cook something new. I was also developing as a food and travel writer and thought a blog would be a good forum for me to find my voice as one. Most of all, I wanted to really learn how to cook. To some end, I think I have accomplished these things. I’ve also made some wonderful friends who love food as passionately as I do. This was an unexpected benefit–icing on the cake, if you will.
Lately, I haven’t blogged as much as I would like to. Work, friends, family and the mundane details of daily life sometimes keep me away. Plus, there’s the book.
I have started a new novel. The last time I started a novel was ten years ago, in graduate school, when I was working on my Master’s degree in Creative Writing. I had been working on this novel on and off since then when a few months ago I met a man, an accomplished artist, who gave me this piece of advice: start something new.
At first, I balked. I had already started over again once before and was almost three hundred pages into the manuscript. How could I just start something new? It would feel like quitting. But after I thought about what he’d said, I realized he was right. The novel wasn’t working. Starting something new didn’t mean I would never finish it. Maybe one day I would be able to go back and look at it and figure out why it wasn’t working and fix it.
In the meantime, the new novel feels right. It’s still early days but it’s going well. Being my own worst critic and a perfectionist, I’m usually unhappy with whatever I write until I have revised it over and over again. But this is different. It’s only the first draft, but I like what’s on the page. The characters are alive, the story has layers. When it’s done, I think it will have guts. It’s already shaping into kind of story I like to read.
So I’m celebrating today–with chocolate cake. After all, what can be more celebratory than that? It seems to me that once you start baking, you’re always searching for the perfect chocolate cake. For me, a chocolate pudding cake is such a cake. Rich with deep chocolate taste and a center so moist it borders on gooey, it’s dessert nirvana.
This recipe is from Canadian Living. It’s one of those magazines where everything is tested a bazillion times, so the recipes are reliable. It’s simple yet delicious. I wanted something festive today, so I made a layer cake and frosted it with caramel icing, but you don’t have to do anything like that if you don’t want to. It’s delicious just as it is, or with a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar.
Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (175 ml) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 ml) cocoa powder
1 cup (250 ml) boiling water or hot coffee
3/4 cup (175 ml) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (75 ml) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder
1/3 cup (75 ml) milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons (25 ml) butter
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 ml) chocolate chips
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, whisk brown sugar with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Whisk in boiling water or coffee until smooth.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and the baking powder. Add the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Whisk until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3) Spread flour mixture in greased 9-inch cake pan. Pour liquid mixture evenly over top.
4) Bake in center of oven for 30 minutes or until the cake is firm when gently touched.
18 comments
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March 2, 2010 at 10:22 PM
KimHo
Congratulations! 😉
March 2, 2010 at 10:39 PM
gratinee
Thank you, Kim!
March 2, 2010 at 11:54 PM
MaryMoh
Congrats on your blog birthday! Well done! What a beautiful chocolate to celebrate it 😀
March 3, 2010 at 12:37 PM
reneethewriter
Congrats : a lovely post and wow, chocolate cake! Glad I finally made it to this space. Thanks for linking via facebook. R
March 3, 2010 at 12:55 PM
gratinee
Thanks, Renee! See you soon.
March 3, 2010 at 9:52 PM
Sherman
Congrats! Happy eating!
March 4, 2010 at 8:28 AM
Heather
Happy Blogthday D!! A new book too!!! How exciting!
March 5, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Hélène
Happy Blog Anniversary! Love your cake.
March 5, 2010 at 6:27 PM
Robin
Congrats Darina — your blogging inspired me to get started. I only wish that you could have saved this chocolate cake until late next week so you could bring it with you when next we meet!!
March 6, 2010 at 7:26 AM
gratinee
Thanks, Robin. I can come up with something else, though …
March 8, 2010 at 6:27 AM
gastroanthropologist
Happy Blogbirthday! I never really followed many blogs, until I started mine, and now I’m a bit blog obsessed. I’ve really enjoyed your posts.
You are a gifted writer – I hope when you are ready you will share some of your novel.
Chocolate cake is a wonderful way to celebrate…one of my favorite devil’s food cake recipe has coffee in it so I’m excited to give your recipe a try.
March 8, 2010 at 8:33 AM
gratinee
Thanks, A! I had no idea what a blog was until I stumbled upon The Amateur Gourmet and then I, too, was hooked. I had to start my own immediately. Thanks you for the props. Knowing that there are people out there that enjoy the writing gives me the inspiration to keep going.
March 8, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Julia @ Mélanger
Congratulations on your blog anniversary, and I can definitely understand
about how ‘life’ can compete with your blog time. That is definitely happening with me right now. But exciting stuff happening for you. Good luck with your book. Look forward to hearing a little more down the track. In the meantime, this cake is now on my must-bake list! Got to love a list, right! 🙂
March 8, 2010 at 1:15 PM
gratinee
Thanks, Julia! Yeah, got to have the list. Mine is a kilometre long.
March 22, 2010 at 8:32 PM
Melody Fury
Happy blog birthday!! What a beautiful slice of yummy cake to celebrate 🙂 I’m always inspired by your straight forward recipes, insightful writing, and gorgeous photography.
March 22, 2010 at 8:43 PM
gratinee
Thanks, Mel!
March 24, 2010 at 2:12 PM
tastesbetterwithfriends
Two things…First off, happy belated blogaversary! Secondly, look forward to reading what you have in store for year #2.
March 24, 2010 at 3:59 PM
gratinee
Thank you, Ethan!