It’s tender and deeply chocolateyand easy to make.
(Byrn notes in her Substack that the recipe likely predates baking powder.)
It uses cake flour, but I typically cant be bothered, so mine calls for all-purpose.
Credit: John T. Hill.
Neither of our recipes call for a mixer; the cakes can be stirred together by hand.
After a few years working forSouthern Living, the influence is now unmistakably clear.
Give the recipe a try for yourself.
Credit: Amazon
I have no doubt that after one bite, you’ll understand how it earned its name.
Pour the hot coffee over the finely chopped chocolate, and allow the chocolate to melt completely.
Stir this liquid mixture into the dry ingredients by thirds, stirring well after each addition until completely blended.
Divided the batter evenly between two buttered and floured parchment-lined 9-inch cake pans.
Remove immediately to cooling racks, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning out of the pans.
To unmold, run a flat-edged knife or spatula between the cake layers and the sides of the pans.
Turn the pans face down onto the cooling rack, and carefully lift them off.
Allow cakes to coolcompletelybefore peeling off the parchment bottoms and frosting.
Remove from heat, and blend in the coffee and vanilla.
Top with the other layer, bottom side down, and frost the top and sides.
For best results, allow the cake to sit for two or more hours before slicing.
Store, covered, at room temperature.
Source
FromThe Gift of Southern Cooking 2003 by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
