Unbelievable Chocolate Cake -- The Cake That Comes After the Brisket

I gave advance copies to everyone who matters: David, Jennifer, Rebecca, Thomas, Miriam (mailed to Tel Aviv), Gloria, Sandra, Doris, Harriet, Janet, Sol, Angela at Cedarhurst, Mr. Rodriguez at the school (he is still the head custodian; he will always be the head custodian). Each copy inscribed. Each inscription different. Rebecca's: "For my daughter, who taught me that the chain is also literary." David's: "For my son, who carries the knife and the love." Miriam's: "For my sister, who proves the chain crosses oceans." Sandra's: "For the woman who taught me that the church basement is also a kitchen."

The book is coming. The book is real. The book will be in bookstores in six weeks. The book will be read by strangers who do not know me, who do not know Sylvia, who do not know the Grand Concourse, but who will read the brisket chapter and taste their own grandmother's brisket, who will read the challah chapter and remember their own mother's hands, who will read the Marvin chapter and weep for their own loves, because the book is not about Ruth Feldman — the book is about everyone who has ever stood in a kitchen and said: eat. The book is about the eating. The book is about the chain. The chain doesn't break.

I made brisket. The brisket of the advance copy. The brisket of the held book. The brisket that is in the book and that is on the table and that is in the container I will bring to Marvin at two o'clock, because the book is being published but the visits don't stop, because the brisket is in the oven but the brisket at Cedarhurst doesn't stop, because the chain is in the book but the chain is also in the kitchen, and the kitchen is where I am, and where I will always be.

The brisket went to Marvin at two o’clock, exactly as it always does — that part of the chain never changes and never should. But the advance copies were on the table, each one inscribed, each one real, and I needed something for the people who came to the apartment that evening: David, Rebecca, Sandra, the neighbors I hadn’t told but who somehow knew. You don’t serve brisket twice in one day, but you always have room for chocolate cake. This is the cake I make when something has finally, irrevocably, beautifully happened — when the thing you worked for is in your hands and you want everyone around you to taste that feeling.

Unbelievable Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong brewed black coffee, cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• For the frosting:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, or line them with parchment paper circles.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
4. Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined and smooth. The batter will be thin — this is correct.
5. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
6. Cool completely. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. Do not rush this step.
7. Make the frosting. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Alternately add the sifted powdered sugar and milk, beating well after each addition, until the frosting is thick and spreadable. Stir in the vanilla. Add additional milk one teaspoon at a time if needed.
8. Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Slice and serve to everyone who came to celebrate.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 64g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 310mg