Easy Glazed Chocolate Cake

It is the end of chocolate week. Let's close it out with a bang.

But before I get to that, let's have a little sidebar: I did something on my blog which I am seriously proud of. See lately, I'm kind of getting pretty good at being tech-y and geek-y with my blog, like when I basically redesigned my blog. Anyway, what I did this time is cool. If you place your mouse over any of the pictures [but don't actually click on them], you'll see a little logo for Pinterest pop up in the top right corner. You can 'pin' pictures right onto Pinterest by clicking on the logo! How cool is that!? And I did it by myself! [....with the help of this little tutorial]. So shall we talk cake now?

If you take a peek at my recipe index, you'll notice that the cake section is considerably shorter than the cookies or brownies/bars. That's kind of a problem. Because who doesn't like cake!? I do, soooo I'm going to work on making that list a little bit longer. Let's start with this Easy Glazed Chocolate Cake because, well. It was my chocolate week .... I'm going to miss it next week. Anyway. Cake. You should probably make it. I did and then I took a few pictures of it and I set it on the counter thinking I'd cut it up and serve it after dinner. Wrong. It was all gone within 10 minutes. I kid you not. Enjoy :)

Easy Glazed Chocolate Cake (Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
sprinkles, optional garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9" cake pan. 

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 5 minutes then turn it out onto the rack to cool completely (at least an hour).
While the cake is cooling, add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand (don't stir) for 1 minute. Then, gently whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Mix in the corn syrup. Allow the glaze to cool completely, gently stirring it a few times as it does. The glaze will thicken as it cools. Pour the glaze into the center of the cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze to the edges (it should be thick enough that it's not running down the sides). Garnish with the sprinkles. YIELD: 16 slices

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a beautiful weekend :) x