A Chocolate Love Story

Let me preface this post by saying I adore chocolate...I love love love it....I dream about it, I would eat a snail if it were covered in chocolate.  I hide my chocolate from the kids.  Chocolate should be one of the major food groups, after all, it comes from a bean.  There are certain times (ladies, you know what I mean) where I simply MUST have chocolate or someone may die.  Yes, I really, really LOVE chocolate.  Every now and then, I hear someone say they don't really care for chocolate.  WHAT?!  Those people need to get to a Dr. stat...they need and M.R.I or some fancy test to figure out what is mis-wired in their brain.  Seriously...

With that being said, chocolate let me down this weekend.  Big time.  I was super, duper excited when I came across a recipe for Chocolate Pancakes.  The picture that accompanied the recipe made me drool...dark, delectable chocolate pancakes sprinkled ever so lightly with powdered sugar and topped with fresh red raspberries.  Who wouldn't want to try that?  I showed the rest of the family, and we were excited to try a special Valentine's breakfast treat.  I measured and mixed the pancakes from scratch, got out the powdered sugar in a shaker, set the finest china on the table and started to cook.  From the get-go, I had a bad feeling.  These silly pancakes were sticking to the pan, not wanting to turn over...they spread and didn't "puff" up as I expected.  I tasted the first one off the griddle, hoping my heart was misleading me.  Nope...severe letdown.  Curt didn't even finish his first pancake.  If you know Curt, you know he never throws out food.  His pancake hit the trash.  Epic FAIL!  So bummed.  So save your heart the tragedy and don't ever try to make chocolate pancakes.  Me being the frugal gal that I am, I tried to eat one with Jif, thinking it would totally redeem it and make it taste like a Reese's cup...NOPE :(  Besides sharing things I think are great, I thought I should share when I have a big failure too...gotta be honest and share that even I, the Domestic Diva, have kitchen failures too :)

To save face with the family and make sure they get the recommended Valentine's dose of chocolate, tonight we'll be feasting on a tried and true recipe Chocolate Pudding Cake.  I've had this recipe since B.C....before children.  It's the easiest thing ever, and never ever lets me down, unlike those stupid pancakes!  Try it warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.  It's classic comfort food, and something special to share with your Valentine.  Happy Heart Day my friends!!

Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small chunks

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Stir batter until just combined. Spread batter evenly into an 8 cup shallow baking dish. Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup cocoa powder, brown sugar, and boiling water. Pour liquid evenly over batter, do not mix. Distribute chocolate chunks into batter. Bake until a tooth pick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with crumbs adhering to it, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.