Mexican Chocolate Cake

This is a chocolate cake with a bit of cinnamon. It is somewhat heavy, not too mushy, and meant to cope with icecream, fruit topings, or other things that might disintegrate the average cake. You can make it with frosting or without, or place a bit of frosting on the side.

You will need:

One cake pan, either for a sheet cake or a 1 piece tube pan
Grease and flour your pan and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Wet ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups sugar (or 16 packets of artificial sweetener plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch)
• 4 large eggs or 5 medium (or 5 large egg whites and one egg yolk to save cholesterol)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Additional ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or electric mixer until aerated.
2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl until the mixture is bubbly.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined well.
4. Add the milk slowly until the batter is smooth but still heavy. It should take a drop 2 or 3 seconds to spread. You may not need all of the milk. You may need more depending on the climate.
5. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Bake for 1 hour, but begin checking at 50 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer or knife will come out clean.

Frosting

You will need:

• 2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Optional : 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Combine icing sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa in a bowl.
2. While the melted butter is still hot, whisk it into the sugar mixture.
3. Whisk in the milk and continue until the frosting is smooth.
4. Fold in the walnuts if you used them.

This frosting can be spread over a cool cake, drizzled over a hot cake or used on the side to give guests the option of frosting or not.

Enjoy :)