Monday, November 15, 2010

A Simple Chocolate Cake--Breakfast for Those Who Don't Eat Breakfasts


Honestly, I have not had much time for my blog lately between doctor visits with my kids, social events, and other projects, including a perpetual home improvement activity. I have hundreds of recipes and pictures waiting ready to be posted, but no time to turn them into posts. For that reason, today's post will be about breakfast, since when I was sitting in doctor's waiting room early this morning, I realized that I did not even have the time to have a cup of coffee before I left home, which most of the time would be all I have for breakfast.

It is said that a nice breakfast gives you a good kick for the whole day. It is probably true, but not being a breakfast person, I can't really confirm that. I know many people who start a day with a big meal that can keep them going through lunch time, and often even until dinner time. There are different traditions of eating breakfasts--muesli in Scandinavia and Switzerland, cereal in America, soft-boiled eggs in Germany, a toast in England, a croissant in France, and--most unhealthy of all, I suppose--a sausage in Poland. This tradition I noticed is still being cultivated aboard Polish Airlines (LOT) flights. When during these frugal times, on most European connections, passengers have to pay for a sandwich or a coffee if they choose to have breakfast at all, the passengers of LOT are served freshly grilled sausages with cheese, filling the entire airplane with their unhealthy yet appetizing aroma at no additional charge.

Although my breakfast usually starts and ends with a cup of coffee, I like to have a piece of pastry with it, if I have one. And even though I will not have many recipes in the "breakfast" category, today's post is about a simple cake that I love to have for breakfast.


Simple Chocolate Cake

2 sticks butter,
6 tbsp water,
4 eggs,
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder,
1 1/2 cup flour,
1 cup sugar,
2 tsp baking powder,
1 tbsp vanilla extract,
2 tbsp bread crumbs.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix butter, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla extract, and water in a saucepan. Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and all the ingredients blend into a homogeneous mixture.
3. Separate egg yolks from whites.
4. Take a saucepan from the heat and add yolks. Mix gently and pour 1/2 cup of the mixture into a separate cup and put aside (this will be used later as icing).
5. Whip whites until stiff and add to the remaining mixture.
6. Mix flour with baking powder and add to the chocolate mixture.
7. Grease a round cake form with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
8. Pour the mixture in and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
9. Take the cake out of the oven, let it cool, take it out of the form and pour the remaining chocolate mixture all over it.