I meant to post this last week for Halloween but I somehow got all discombobulated. But hey, better late than never, right? And any time is a good time for magic and chocolate cake, right? Right! Skip the boxed cake mix and make this beginner-friendly chocolate cake! This black magic cake recipe will have your friends wanting seconds. Flavored by rich HERSHEY’S Cocoa and kept moist with the addition of vegetable oil and buttermilk, the Black Magic Cake has a secret ingredient: coffee! Coffee boosts the flavor of chocolate, and you can use freshly brewed coffee or instant coffee, whichever you have on hand. Customize this chocolate cake with different pans and flavors of icing, like buttercream or vanilla bean.

Black Magic Cake

Yields: 1 cake
Prep: 15 min. 
Bake: 39 min. 
Total: 54 Min.

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 - 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
1 cup Coffee strong black or 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan, two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together 2 cups sugar, 1 3/4 cups flour,  3/4 cup cocoa, 2 tsps baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt in large bowl. Add 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup coffee, 1/2 cup oil and 1 tsp vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes for fluted tube pan, 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan and remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

No, Sade has not made this cake nor will she. We all know and love the fact that she is a walking disaster in the kitchen. Good thing her man doesn’t depend on…you know…actual food for sustenance. And besides, isn’t that what Door Dash and take out are for? THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC is the book that introduces Sade to the world. She’s in New Orleans to find out why Magicks are dying in a sanctuary city. Most of the “Scooby Gang” are introduced and the scene of Sade with the zombies at Marie Laveaux’s tomb is not to be missed! Just scan the QR code, click on a pic or the title above and head over to Books2Read to the Penumbra Papers landing page.

A final PSA: Today is election day here in the US. Please vote. It’s a privilege and a right. Exercise yours!