Repossession

Today’s National Day is a solemn International Holocaust Remembrance Day - and even though this topic deserves its due, I am more interested in the lighthearted National Chocolate Cake Day!!

The first verifiable recipe for chocolate cake appeared in Eliza Leslie’s 1847 cookbook. The actual formula, however, wasn’t quite what we’d recognize as a chocolate cake today. Leslie’s recipe called for chopped pieces of chocolate inserted into a plain sponge instead of adding cocoa powder to the mix itself. You can imagine, though, how delicious this thing would have tasted. There would have been tiny chunks of melted chocolate throughout its core, providing a melt-in-the-mouth experience people would still very much enjoy today. 

Over the years, authors and cooks such as Maria Parloa added their twists on the chocolate cake. They began incorporating all of the trappings of the modern version we’d recognize today. First came the frosting, followed by the inclusion of de-fatted cocoa powder into the batter mix. After that came a range of chocolatey fillings designed to make the dessert even more delightful. 

By the 1920s, the humble chocolate cake had become mainstream, and manufacturers began to sell the recipe outright. O. Duff and Sons released the first boxed chocolate cake, ready to eat – no baking required. And in 1947, Betty Crocker released a pre-made chocolate cake mix. Ultimately, making chocolate cake became more straightforward. Almost anyone could do it, even if they lacked experience in the kitchen.

So, have a great weekend, have your cake, and eat it too!!