Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake

Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake prepared by Ellen Chinn for a Departmental joint baby shower party.

If you want a show-stopping and delicious cake for celebrating Halloween then try this Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake.  This particular cake has “haunted” me ever since our Chemistry Department had it during a joint baby shower party for Keith and Arlene and Avijita and husband in February of this year. 

 

This Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake was prepared by Ellen, one of the hosts of the baby shower, who generously provided the members of the department with her easy-to-follow recipe below.   I was pleasantly surprised when she told me the name of the cake and the source of its recipe.   She actually adapted the recipe from  a children’s book , The Bake Shop Ghost by   Jacqueline K. Ogburn and Marjorie Priceman. 

According to the story, the new owner of a bake shop, Annie Washington, prepared this cake to appease the bake shop ghost, Cora Lee Merriweather , who haunted the bake shop she used to own. 

If you are intrigued by the story check the blogsite Food Adventures in Fiction and its highly informative blurb on this cake and this book.  This delightful site prepares cake and other dishes based on fiction stories from books and movies.   Really awesome.


Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake
(Adapted from The Bake Shop Ghost by Dr. Ellen Chinn)

(Note:  This is the exact recipe emailed to the members of the department by Ellen)

 



Prepare two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans or one 9” x 13” pan by greasing then lining the bottom with waxed or parchment paper, then grease the paper. 

Preheat oven to 325^oF.

·         In a medium bowl, mix together:

1.25 C         sugar

1.25 C         all-purpose flour

0.75 C         unsweetened cocoa

0.5 t            baking soda

0.25 t          salt

·         In a large bowl, combine:

0.75 C         butter or canola oil or combination of the two

8 oz.            bittersweet chocolate, chopped

·         Microwave on high for one minute, stir, then for additional 30 second intervals, until chocolate is melted.  Stir until homogeneous.

·         To the chocolate/butter mixture, add

1 C              buttermilk

4                  beaten      eggs

1 t               vanilla

·         Mix thoroughly.

·         Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended.

·         Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake at 325^oF for about 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it.

·         Cool on rack for about 15 minutes.  Run a sharp knife around the edge and invert cake onto rack.  Allow to cool completely before icing.

I used a chocolate buttercream icing.