Afternoon News 4/27/10

Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma! legislators pass stupid, intrusive abortion law. Why don't you pass a law forcing women to purchase cute little shoes for the fetus while you're at it?

Alice Miller dies at 87. The original book title "The Drama of the Spoiled Little Narcissist," was nixed by editors.

New York's war on salt continues. Won't somebody please think of the children?

(The picture above is of four different kinds of cake I made for my cooking show "The Pleasure of Food." Lemon cake, butter cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate cake with mocha frosting and (up on a pedestal where it belongs) bittersweet chocolate cake with vanilla mousseline butter cream. With special thanks to Filmy Residue Productions.)

In honor of the latest infamous and annoying news about chocolate, here's my recipe for bittersweet chocolate cake. Adapted from "The Joy of Cooking."

Below the fold:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease and flour two 9x2 inch round pans.

Melt in the top of a double boiler just until smooth and melted:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

Sift together into a large bowl:

1 ¾ cups cake flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 heaping Tbl unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Add and beat on high speed for 2 minutes:

1 cup sour cream

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

Add the melted chocolate along with:

2 large eggs

2 Tbl vanilla (Good vanilla dammit, no imitation crap. Are you listening?)

¼ cup hot water

Beat for 2 minutes.  Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and spread evenly.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 – 25 minutes Frost when cool with:

Vanilla mousseline butter cream.