“Food is love, Baby Girl,” Neenie said as she
spoon-fed Savannah with both.
Savannah
perched on the kitchen stool as she watched Neenie pour the batter like
chocolate lava into greased and floured cake pans. She smacked the tins on the
counter to release any air bubbles before bearing them to the oven and gliding them
inside, with a skilled cook's economy of movement. Neenie in the kitchen, was
as predictable as the sun rising in the east. That predictability was the
island Savannah always circled.
"Here,
child. Maybe this will make you feel better." Neenie set two saucers of
the dark confection on the table and sat beside her mistress.
Savannah's fingers rested on the fork
beside her plate, tracing the delicate pattern of her wedding silverware. She picked
it up, cold and heavy in her hand, and stabbed at her dessert as if it were a
voodoo doll. Looking at Neenie, she sighed from somewhere deep in her soul
where dreams went to die.
"Not everything can be fixed with
your chocolate cake."
-PAPER CASTLES
I don't know know what Savannah's talking about. Because everything can be fixed with chocolate cake.
Here's Neenie's recipe:
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
COMBINE first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, stir in sour cream and beaten eggs. MELT butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1 cup water and cocoa. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. STIR cocoa mixture into flour mixture. Pour batter into lightly greased 15x10 inch jellyroll pan.
BAKE at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Spread Fudge Frosting evenly over WARM cake. YIELD: 24 servings. ( let's be real...more like 12)
FUDGE FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1 ( 1 pound) package of powdered sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
MELT butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in milk and cocoa and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until smooth; stir in vanilla.