Fear of baking? This very easy، really good cake recipe can help

Still، today، when I bake، I stick with what’s very easy: my Aunt Edith’s dinner rolls، the version of no-knead bread that’s even easier than no-knead bread. I’m never going to make croissants; professional bakers do that with great skill، and then you pay them for one، and there is rejoicing. I’ve not gone back to pie crust; for quiche، there is Le Pichet، and for pie، there is Mom، and، again in both cases، rejoicing. 

In terms of cake، I pretty much make only the following one. The recipe from Mollie Katzen upon which it is based is intended for children، so it’s in my comfort zone (and she is much better at kids’ recipes than whoever wrote the accursed “Alice in Wonderland” cookbook of my youth). You’re supposed to mix it right in the pan for even easier-ness، but I found that substantially more messy than washing a bowl. I’ve made a couple other changes، too (including candy!). On her website، Katzen says to children/me، “Go ahead and put it in the oven … and say to yourself، ‘I believe.’ Because a real chocolate cake will come out of that oven، and you will feel like you just performed a miracle.’”

True! Just make sure that oven is calibrated correctly، and this cake will never make you cry. 

Absurdly Easy، Very Good، Not Overly Large Chocolate Cake That Is Also Vegan Depending on the Candy You Deploy
It is worth it to get really good cocoa powder for this cake and for life in general — ChefShop sells the primo stuff here in Seattle and also online. Use any kind of candy you like: A toffee candy bar is nice، or leftover candy cane، or a chocolate bar، or a vegan chocolate bar (or sub chocolate or vegan chocolate chips، for that matter). A simple design for your cutout is best، but if it causes any anxiety، skip it، and just do powdered-sugar snow; it’ll still look pretty. I find this cake serves about six. — Bethany Jean Clement

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (get the good stuff!)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
⅓ cup coconut oil (melted، if it is solid)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
~3 tablespoons of your favorite candy bar or other candy of your choice — cut up، crumbled or somewhat crushed into approximately chocolate-chip size
Powdered/confectioners’ sugar for dusting
A heavier paper cutout heart (or another design) that’ll fit in your 8- or 9-inch pan