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| This picture makes our bungalow look a whole lot bigger than it actually is! |
Last spring The Husband and I offered to host a literary supper for our charter school's fundraiser. People sign up and pay to attend a small gathering, and all the money goes to the school. Last night, we had about a dozen people over, some we knew and some we didn't, including our school's principal who led us in a great discussion of Toni Morrison's powerful, spare novel Home. The Husband made an amazing stew of lentils, sausage and chicken with a big green salad and crusty bread. We drank wine and laughed and talked -- a lot about the book and a lot about the world in general. We ate Hallelujah Cake and talked some more before everyone left around 10:00. It was a wonderful community gathering and made me grateful, again, to live in such a diverse city and to be a part of such a progressive school.
Here's the recipe for Hallelujah Cake, which I've posted before and which comes from my Texas friend Johanna. It's a weird recipe that goes against the pastry chef in me's grain, but it works and it's incredibly good. Evidently, it's named for the exclamation one makes when you take a bite.
Hallelujah Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter a cake pan. I used a large oval Le Creuset, but you can probably use a 9X12 rectangular
Sift the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch o salt
Melt together in a microwave:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 heaping T of good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of water
Pour that wet mixture into the dry mixture and then add:
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Mix well and pour into baking pan.
Bake for about 30ish minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When cool, spread with this icing:
Mix the following together and beat in an electric mixer:
1 stick of butter, melted
8 heaping T good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (I use a very dark Belgian one)
1/3 cup milk
1 box of powdered sugar
