Tax Break Cake

I've been dreading doing my taxes for several weeks now, but yesterday I finally decided to bite the bullet and tackle the task. 

I'm not particularly good at keeping paperwork organized, so I had to spend the first part of the morning rounding up all the tax-related stuff I could find.  Then, after a couple of hours of sorting through creased papers, faded documents, and crumpled up receipts, I looked up from the mess that surrounded me and sighed.

I needed a break, and a good one too. 

To me, a good break always involves homemade cake...of which I had none. 

Sad situation, I say.  But being the problem solver (and cake-lover) that I am, I decided to remedy it the best way I know how. 

I immediately clawed my way out of my tax-paper pile and headed straight for the kitchen, where I proceeded to whip up a chocolaty creation I cleverly (in my opinion) deemed my "Tax Break Cake"...

Here's what I used:

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa
• 1/2 cup soft shortening
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

I sifted the first six ingredients together into the mixing bowl, then added the shortening and 1/2 the water.

I turned on the mixer and beat this for a minute or two, then added the rest of the water and the eggs.

It all got beat again for a minute and then poured into my handy-dandy vintage bundt pan, which I had already greased. 

I slid the cake pan into a 350 degree oven and baked it for 25 minutes.

It took another 25 minutes for the cake to cool, so in the meantime I mixed up some fudge frosting (just a couple spoonfuls of butter, some dark cocoa and powdered sugar, and a little bit of milk) and ate most of it while waited. 

You gotta do what you gotta do.

I finally forced my frosting-filled spoon away from my face, flipped the bundt pan over onto my grandma's old milk-glass cake platter, and dabbed on the remaining frosting.

I topped it off with a sprinkle of pink sea salt, then cut me a big 'ole slice and sat back down in the middle of my mound of tax papers to enjoy it.

Hey, if you gotta do something you dread, you might as well do something to make it delicious!

I just wish there was a way I could write off all the chocolate cakes I've eaten this year...

Not to mention the frosting!