Celebration Cake

So much to celebrate... after a Herculean unpacking effort over the weekend, our new apartment finally feels like home.  I love our new neighborhood so much.  Baby J is officially walking.  The heat wave has broken with a glorious summer thunderstorm (love those).  My sister is here!  And life is good.  What better way to celebrate than with cake?   Would you like the hands-down best cake recipe in the world?  Yes?  Well, here you go:

Photo by cake goddess and wine-making genius Haley

Celebration Cake

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup dry white wine (never use anything you wouldn't drink!)

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour 9-inch round pans.

2) Beat the sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer.  Add oil, wine, flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla and beat.

3) Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.

And the best part, the Icing

Ingredients

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1) Melt butter and chocolate together over very low heat, or in a double boiler.

2) Remove from heat, add vanilla.

3) Add sugar, beating gradually until combined.

Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing from their pans and icing them in layers.  I say without compunction that this cake is THE BEST.  It is adapted from the Great Yellow Cake recipe in the Silver Palate New Basics cookbook, that 80s classic which is full of gems from all of our childhoods.  This cake is the best thing to come from all three of their volumes as far as I am concerned.  How often do you find a winning cake recipe that doesn't involve a lick of sifting, obscure ingredients, or undue fuss?  This celebration cake is an all-time crowd-pleaser, delighting even those people who claim to only like pie (I don't believe you).  Try it and let me know what you think... you won't be disappointed!

Cheers!