Cake me

I was trying to decide what dessert to make for a weekend dinner with friends this past week, flipping through my various cookbooks in search of inspiration. When your company includes six guests under the age of 7, you want to get dessert just right. I settled on a chocolate cake from my Bon Appetit cookbook. This recipe appealed in its simplicity: Old-fashioned chocolate cake with cocoa frosting. It sounds like a good book or a new sweater; a treat to congratulate yourself on getting through a hard week.

In a word, this cake is a-mazing. Moist layers of chocolate cake with chocolate icing smooshed between each layer and nuggets of semi-sweet chocolate chips every few bites. A definite lick-your-plate-clean dessert. My only warning is to have plenty of milk on hand to go with and don't serve to young children close to bed-time. It's got a wicked sugar kick. I will admit to eating a slice for dessert last night, breakfast this morning, a treat at lunch and a prelude to dinner. And I don't regret one forkful....