Every Valentine’s Day, chocolate becomes part of the romantic holiday. As illustrated by the Aztec ruler Montezuma, chocolate was thought to be an aphrodisiac practiced by the Gods with a drug-like influence discovered in the cocoa bean. Who knew?
I offer a delightful yet simple recipe we can all enjoy called Creole Mexican Chocolate Cake.
Creole Mexican Chocolate Cake
Serves 8
(Adapted from Rosalie Murphy’s The Quick Adobe Cookbook
Dell Publishing, 1988)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cup flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup hot water
Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1/8 cup milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pecan halves
Directions for Cake
1 Preheat oven 350 F
2 Mix sour cream, 1 1/2 cup sugar and milk in a large bowl
3 Sift in flour, salt, baking soda
4 Stir in eggs
5 Melt the chocolate in water and stir into flour mixture
6 Pour into a greased & floured oblong pan—8 1/2”x14”
7 Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8 Let cool until sides shrink from pan (10 minutes)
Preparations for the Frosting
9 Mash cream cheese until soft
10 Melt chocolate in milk over low heat
11 Mix with cream cheese and add enough powdered sugar to thicken the icing.
12 Spread over entire cake with a knife and cover top
with pecan halves