Momma always had cake when company dropped by and we had a lot of company. If she knew in advance that it was just a couple of people stopping in, she would sometimes just make a one layer. In those days, trips to the store was on payday and that was not weekly.

Even though we lived “in the country” where houses might be several miles apart, she was close to her neighbors. Momma was a person that could do most anything. Giving home perms was one of those practices.

When we saw Momma laying out a towel on the kitchen table with all those different colored curling rods neatly lined in a row according to color, we knew that soon our senses would soon be offended. And in would walk Ms. Rita or Ms. LeBlanc with a wet head. Hair needed to be clean for a perm and Momma didn’t wash hair. There were some things people had to be responsible for.

And not only did they get beauty treatment, they usually got a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. That’s what neighbors did back then.

For a one-layer, Momma never measured anything. It just came naturally. A cup of this, a pinch of that..there was no head in a book reading recipes. Well, unfortunately I did not receive that gene from Momma. I need a check-off list. I have been known to leave the sugar out of a pound cake, even though I had made the same recipe several times.

This is a chocolate mocha cake. Mocha refers to coffee and it adds some zing, I think. If you are in a hurry and want to have a simple, small dessert, make this! You can make it all in your mixing bowl without having to measure things and “set aside.” A 9-inch pan is sufficient. The coffee gives it a rich flavor.

I always thought ganache was a complicated icing to make. It is the simplest and perhaps, the prettiest in the presentation. All you need is heavy cream and chocolate chips. Heat the cream to very hot. Throw in the chips. Wait a minute and hand whisk to a beautiful, glossy icing. Garnish can be berries..I love raspberries on ganache icing. But for this one, I had some mini-Hershey Cookies and Cream candy bars that I just shaved with a vegetable peeler.

I cannot wait for you to try this. You will be wishing you had this recipe a long time ago.

Yield: 12 slices

ONE LAYER CHOCOLATE MOCHA CAKE

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one layer chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup Hershey's unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup. milk 
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder ( I used Folgers)

GANACHE

• 1 /2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Instructions

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan by spraying with nonstick spray with flour.

In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In a cup add the instant coffee to the boiling water and set aside.

Make a well in the flour mixture and add the egg, vanilla, and milk. Beat well until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be thick.

Pour hot coffee over batter. Turn mixer and low and beat. Scrape sides and bottom well and beat until smooth. The mixture will be thin.

Pour into prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly onto a folded dishtowel on the counter to release bubbles inside the cake.

Bake about 40 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick or skewer by inserting in the middle. If it shows evidence of wet batter, bake another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Flip onto a plate. Then invert so the domed side is facing up.

GANACHE

Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Heat until it gets hot. Do not boil. Once you see steam rise, remove from the stovetop.

Immediately pour the chocolate chips into the hot cream. Let it sit for about one minute.

Whisk the mixture until it is thoroughly combined and the mixture is shiny.

Pour over the cake.

Garnish with berries or shaved chocolate.

Notes

A garnish can be used. Raspberries look very elegant on the ganache. On this cake, I had some mini Hershey's Cookies and Cream candy bars that I just shaved with a vegetable peeler and then dropped some broken pieces as well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 476Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 218mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.

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