Yummy Chocolate Cake

The church board approved the expansion. APPROVED. Twenty girls, two sessions, a small budget for groceries and supplies. Sister Gloria called me after the meeting and said, "Unanimous, Tamika. Every vote." Unanimous. The board of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church unanimously approved my cooking program for teenage girls. I hung up the phone and sat at the kitchen table and the feeling that flooded me was not just pride — it was recognition. The church recognized what Mama started. The church said: this matters. Keep going. We'll help.

I called Curtis. He said, "Good." (Curtis.) I called Darnell. He said, "Mama would be proud." I called Andre, who said, "Can I do a comedy set at the expansion launch?" (He cannot. But the offer stands.) I called Derek. He said, "I told you." He said, "You put yourself in the proposal and they said yes." He's right. I put myself in and they said yes. There's a lesson there about visibility and courage and the risk of being seen. But the lesson can wait. Tonight I'm just going to be glad.

End of school approaching. Marcus is finishing 8th grade with honors. His debate record this year: twelve wins, three losses. His essay about Mama's Folgers can helped him get into the magnet school. His teacher, Mr. Williams, told me at a parent conference: "Your son argues like a man twice his age with the heart of someone who has loved and lost. I don't know where he gets it." I said, "He gets it from everyone who ever set a table for him." Mr. Williams looked confused. I didn't explain. Some metaphors are family-only.

Jasmine's spring concert is next week. She's singing a solo: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Not the bouncy version. The slow version. The one that aches with longing for a place you haven't been yet but believe in anyway. That's my daughter. Longing and believing. Singing about somewhere while standing right here. She rehearses at the kitchen table and the house fills with her voice and I think: Mama, can you hear this? Mama, she sounds like Sunday.

A unanimous vote deserves a cake — not a store-bought one, not a mix from a box, but one you make with your own hands while the news is still warm inside you. I pulled out Mama’s mixing bowl, the heavy ceramic one with the chip on the rim, and I made this chocolate cake because it is exactly what a yes feels like: rich and deep and sweet all the way through. Twenty girls are going to learn to cook in that church kitchen, and the first thing I’m going to teach them is that celebration is an ingredient.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

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 coffee, cooled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment. Set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine and pour. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth and no dry streaks remain — it will be thin. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake. Bake for 33–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low until incorporated. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with the heavy cream, beating on medium until smooth and spreadable. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread a generous layer of frosting across the top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Yummy Chocolate Cake — The One You Bake When the Church Says Yes