I came down with a nasty cold yesterday.  I had some vegetable soup, drink a few glasses of orange juice and got lots of rest.  But something was still missing from my get-well routine.  Was it a cup of hot tea?  No.  Was it a cozy blanket?  No.  I wanted something sweet and rich and non-sick-person-like.  So I donned on my thickest robe, slipped into my furry slippers and made this cake literally with a tissue box in one arm.

I had bookmarked this recipe from a Jewish baking book from Erin—the same one I got this apple cake from.  I like the book because it includes the history and traditions associated with major Jewish holidays.  Not that I needed another excuse to make this cake, but since it was in the section for Chanukah, which began at sundown on Friday, I thought this would be a rather timely recipe.

I love that the cake was just sweet enough, allowing the slight bitterness from the chocolate to come through.  The cake layers were light and moist.  The fluffy icing was decadent without being too rich.  I confess that I licked off the bowls for the batter and the icing so they wouldn’t go to waste.  But didn’t you hear?  Calories don’t count when you are sick.

The recipe said to decorate the cake with colored sprinkles and golden chocolate coins, which is traditional for Chanukah.  I’d smooth out the icing and use the sprinkles if I was making it for a birthday.  But because I was sick and tired and anxious, I slathered on the icing without much finesse and called it “rustic.”

At about half a foot high, this cake makes for a dramatic presentation for any special occasion.  Or just make it for a sick friend who can use a pick-me-up.  Trust me, it works.

Double Fudge Chocolate Layer Cake

Adapted from “A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking” by Marcy Goldman

Cake

• Granulated sugar, 2 cups
• Vegetable oil, 1 1/4 cups
• Eggs, 3 large
• Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• All-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups
• Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
• Baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup
• Warm, flat cola soda, 1 1/2 cups

Chocolate icing

• Chocolate chips, melted and cooled, 1/2 cup
• Unsalted butter, softened, 1 stick and 6 tablespoons
• Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4 cup
• Confectioner’s sugar, 3 cups
• Flat cola soda, 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans and line their bottoms with parchment paper circles.

In a large mixing bowl, blend sugar and oil.  Add the eggs and vanilla and combine until the mixture is well blended.  You can do this in an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add them to the wet ingredients in two batches, drizzling the coke as the mixture blends.  If you are using an electric mixer, use the slow speed and mix for about three minutes, scraping the sides and the bottom once to incorporate all the ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched.

When the cakes are ready, let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack, remove the parchment paper and cool completely, about an hour.  Trim the top of the cakes with a serrated knife, so they are flat for layering and icing.

Cream together the melted chocolate, butter, vanilla, cocoa powder and one cup of the confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer.  Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar and whip on high speed, adding the coke a bit at a time to get a light, fluffy consistency.  If you are not frosting the cake right away, rewhip before, adding more coke if necessary.

Place one layer of cake on a cake stand and cover the top with about 1/2 inch of icing.  Cover with the second cake layer.  Ice the sides first, the the top.

Serves 12.