Super Easy Chocolate Cake

If you don't have a lot of time and you want a chocolate cake that will delight your guests, Mike's Easy Chocolate Cake is your go-to recipe.

When it comes to a quick dessert, the off-the-shelf box cakes don't require much effort, which makes them an attractive option when you want to make a dessert and you are in a pinch for time. Still, even with the boxed cakes, extra ingredients are required. Typically, you have to add eggs, oil and either milk or water.

The box mixes for chocolate cake usually contain a short list of simple ingredients:

• Flour, and sometimes corn starch

• Sugar

• Cocoa

• Baking Powder

• Salt

Putting these ingredients together is so simple that you have to ask yourself why you would pay someone to do it for you. Well, the answer is "proportions". The precise amount of all the ingredients is never indicated on the box.

So, I took the challenge into my Food Lab and, after 4 attempts, I worked out proportions that produce an excellent cake. It is nearly as easy to make as the boxed version and tastes even better.

The testing results I compiled can serve as a base for a variety of other cakes. Only minor modifications are required to create several different flavors. You can use the concept to invent your own, if you so desire. For now, I invite you to try my incredibly easy and delicious creation.

Mike's Easy Chocolate Cake

www.mikesfoodlab.com

Mike's Easy Chocolate Cake

This moist and delicious chocolate cake is practically as easy to make as the boxed mixes you buy at the grocery store. The off-the-shelf version basically contains sugar, flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder and maybe a bit of corn starch. In my food lab, I have worked out the proportions, you can easily make your own.

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Icing

Making chocolate icing is another very simple task.

All that is required for a basic chocolate icing is:

• Icing Sugar

• Some type of fat, like butter, margarine or shortening

• Cocoa

From there, you can add flavorings using liqueurs, extracts, nut butters, concentrated juices or anything else that inspires you. Icing is something you can easily make off-the-cuff.

• Put a random amount of icing sugar in a bowl.

• Add a bit of butter or margarine at a time and mix.

• Keep adding fat and mixing until it turns into an icing. Voila!

Chocolate & Coffee Icing with Tahini

I invite you to ice your cake with my Chocolate & Coffee Icing. It is complimented with a dab of tahini, which gives it a special, behind the scenes, flavor. The recipe is so easy it practically makes itself.

www.mikesfoodlab.com

Chocolate & Coffee Icing

This quick and easy recipe makes a wonderful icing that will go great on a variety of desserts. Try it on brownies, chocolate cake or in between layered cookies. The coffee flavor makes it wonderfully different.

www.mikesfoodlab.com