“…it is the nature of the poet to become tender and imaginative in the loneliness of confinement.” – Washington Irving

Confinement

I know that we are luckier than most. We are confined to a large hotel with a terrace and courtyard, a laundry room, and the hotel stock of supplies, if need be. 

March 16, we sent our employees home after the government announcement recommending everyone do so. We saw off our last 3 clients and then the cancellations began flowing in. Although not required by law, we shut down our business for all intents and purposes, seeing as how no one is allowed to travel anyway. We agreed to let any client we know personally, our regular clients trying to travel home or our regular businessmen obliged to come to the area for work, stay here if they need a bed and a hot meal at night. And a glass of wine.

And every morning my husband goes downstairs and takes care of the booking cancellations that have come in during the night; we are happy to say that so far there have only been a handful of summer bookings cancelled and we pray this will hold. I assume that those folks are waiting to see how this whole thing goes. And so are we.

We’ve been under mandatory house confinement for a week although, truth be told, it seems longer. All non-essential businesses and shops are closed leaving only pharmacies and food businesses open. We can’t leave home without a signed, government-issued affidavit swearing to the reason – we have a limited choice – we are out. And now we can only go out one at a time to stop the added risk of contagion. 

So we wander from room to room, look at the cats, watch the news, head to the kitchen for a snack. We’ve actually started cooking again, which is the silver lining of this whole catastrophe. We now have the time and energy, even the creativity to cook again. I’ve made homemade pizza dough, a weekly family tradition before the hotel, for the first time in years. I made blanquette again. Husband has been cooking almost everyday. It’s almost like our life before. 

Our old neighbor, Mr. B, who lives alone, a single, stereotypically “absentminded professor” chap, stopped by in front of the gate to let us know he was off to see the doctor this morning. We see the folks who live behind us circling the block to walk their dog, still never cleaning up after him. The birds are out now, along with the daffodils and first roses, and our cats let us know that the lizards, still rather sluggish, are out now, as well. Occasionally we hear a car engine or a child’s voice in the distance, but for most of the day it is dead silent in our street. No one out, no one moving. 

My everyday is pretty much spent doing chores around the apartment, chatting with my sons, and writing up recipes. 

My younger son has always had a certain sobriety in his eating habits that, genetically, I have yet to trace. He eats almost no vegetables, refuses soups and sauces with chunks of anything in them, he dissects meat and casseroles to remove even a hint of fat or anything remotely mysterious with a minutia that would make a forensic scientist proud. And he can turn down dessert with an insouciance that never ceases to astonish me. When he does have a request, it is something simple, coming from his familiar list of likes : a delicate coffee cake, the streusel topping studded only with chocolate chips and walnuts, cranberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, or a light, not too chocolatey, not too gooey chocolate cake.

I have recipes for richer, denser cakes, but what makes this cake so special is that it is feather light, moist yet very delicate and, as light as it is, it has an intense chocolate flavor. It is so good it has made grown Frenchmen weep. And it is Simon’s favorite.

What I love most about this recipe is that it is so easy and quick to put together. The fat is vegetable oil, so no waiting for butter to come to room temperature and as I always have the rest of the ingredients in the house, I can put it together on the spur of the moment. When I want something simple to have on hand for breakfast, I make it in a 9-inch X 2-inch-deep pan, bake it for about 30 minutes, and serve it plain. When I want to make something richer or have an elegant dessert, I bake it in two 7-inch pans for closer to 15 – 20 minutes and sandwich the two layers together with the quick chocolate buttercream and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Print Recipe

Special One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Really easy to make with cupboard staples, this cake is feather light, always moist, and surprisingly, intensely chocolate. Make in one layer or two slightly smaller layers and fill with the simple chocolate buttercream.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Equipment

• one 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan or two 7-inch (18 cm) round cake pans

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups flour 175 grams
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup warm milk 150 ml
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil 150 ml
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• powdered/icing/confectioner's sugar for serving
• 6 ounces powdered/icing/confectioner's sugar 175 grams
• 3-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 50 grams
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 25 grams
• 2 tablespoons very hot water or prepared coffee

Instructions

• For the cake :

  Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Oil and line with parchment paper either one 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan or two 7-inch (18 cm) round cake pans.
• Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend.
• In a separate mixing bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm milk, the oil, eggs and vanilla until the eggs are well blended.
• Now it is a question of pouring the wet ingredients into the dry and blending well either with a whisk or a wooden spoon, although I prefer using a whisk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. For a smooth, lump-free batter, pour about a quarter of the liquid ingredients into the well, and with small, brisk circular movements, whisk with just enough of the dry until you have a thick, smooth, lump-free batter in the center. Add some more of the liquid, pull in a bit more of the dry, and briskly whisk again until your batter is smooth. Continue until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into your (now) lump-free batter, add any remaining liquid and give it a go.
• Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes for one 9-inch round pan and about 20 minutes for two 7-inch round layer pans, depending on your oven, until the center of your cake or layers is just firm to the touch, completely cooked through. The cake should start to pull away from the sides of the pan just after it is removed from the oven.
• Remove to racks, let cool for about 10 minutes, then slide a sharp knife blade around the edges to loosen, turn the cake out onto racks, peel off the parchment paper, flip back upright and let cool completely.
• For the chocolate buttercream :

  Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and the powdered sugar together. Add the cocoa powder and the hot water and beat, scraping down the sides as necessary, until well blended and fluffy. If the buttercream is too soft to support a cake layer, allow it to chill in the refrigerator until set.
• If making the layer cake:

  Put one layer of your cake on a cake plate and, using a spatula, spread thickly with the filling. Place the other layer on top of the filling and sprinkle the top liberally with powdered sugar. Using the spatula eat any remaining frosting left in the bowl.