I thought I’d try to understand meanness. Where does it come from? What makes some people have compassion and kindness, and what makes others be cruel and plain mean?
I think of the people who use social media and the Internet to bully and harass others. These are the people who hide behind their computer screens, but there are other mean people who don’t hide at all. They get right in your face without any shame and show their darkest side no matter whom they hurt. A good example of this is the grumpy and ugly man who once stopped me right in the grocery store parking lot to rant about why I didn’t deserve a handicap license plate.
What this person didn’t know was that I live with Lupus and Sjorgren’s diseases. The night before, I hadn’t been able to sleep because the pain in my body was too unbearable. Not every disability is visible.
I’ve written a few posts about this before but only once briefly mentioned my condition because I know you don’t come here to hear about illness, pain, or suffering.
But I believe this post is quite appropriate because I have come to the conclusion that mean people would be happier if they ate some cake and received a nice hug. I really believe that mean man in the parking lot was hungry for some cake. Enjoy!
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 ounces Dutch-process cocoa
- 10 1/2 ounces brown sugar
- 5 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 1/2 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Chocolate Frosting:
Ingredients:
- 5 1/2 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ounce mayonnaise
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
- 8 ounces confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch salt
Preheat to 325°F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and line with parchment paper so it hangs over the sides of the pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl mix well the boiling water and cocoa powder together and set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, flours, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a separate bowl whisk the oil, sour cream, eggs and egg yolks and add to the cocoa and water mixture, beat well to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Beat on low speed for another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat on until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed and reaches an internal temperature of 205° F. Let cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack before frosting.
To make the chocolate frosting beat the butter and mayonnaise in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing on high, about 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the melted chocolate. Continue mixing until all of the chocolate is incorporated, don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Turn off the mixer and add the confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the salt and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth and lightens slightly in color, 2 to 3 minutes.
you can make this ahead and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 hours or you can refrigerate for up to a week. Just bring to room temperature before using it.
This beautiful cake recipe was created by Alton Brown
