Shoe Polish Chocolate Cake

Is this the bestest name you've ever seen?   This dark and lovely cake gets its rich lusciousness from unsweetened (baking) chocolate and brown sugar.  Not coffee, as many dark chocolate cakes utilize to enhance color and flavor.  Extremely moist and delicious, with a hint of sweetness.  No need for icing, frosting, glaze, ganache nor any other topping you can possibly imagine.  I brought a few pieces to work, and not a crumb was left.




The easy-to-follow recipe was shared by a generous baker to one of my favorite Facebook cooking groups, Norene's Kitchen!, and I was instantly intrigued.   Mostly because I blipped over the shoe part and read the next word as Poh-lish.  I scanned the ingredients several times, wondering what was so ethnic about it before I finally figured it out ... Duh.  

Hoping that the favorable comments about its awesome flavor were true, and that the name referred to its color and not taste, I went ahead and baked up a loaf.   The original recipe called for margarine, and, interestingly enough, also for milk.  But since it only needed a touch of moo juice, I subbed with coconut milk to make it entirely dairy-free.


Shoe Polish Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a recipe by Helen Stein, shared here with permission by Marion Kaplan
Yield:  1 large loaf (about 12 family-size servings or 24 work sharing-size servings)

Note:  Be sure to use a 12x4x4 (or equivalent-sized) loaf pan (instead of the usual 9x5x4) to prevent batter overflowing during baking.

cooking spray
3 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) non-dairy margarine, cut up
2 packed cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup coconut milk (from a carton, not the canned stuff)
1 2/3 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spritz the bottom center of  a large loaf pan with cooking spray.

I clipped the parchment's corners for a better fit.

 Line pan with parchment paper cut to fit, gently pressing paper into cooking spray so that it stays put when the batter is poured in.  Lightly spray the entire parchment; set pan aside.

Place chocolate squares in heatproof small dish.  Microwave 1 minute at 100% power.  Stir, then continue to heat for 30 seconds intervals until almost melted.  Stir until completely melted.  Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, place margarine and brown sugar.  Beat on low for 30 seconds, then increase to medium and beat for an additional minute or until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium until incorporated.

In a small mixing bowl, hand whisk baking soda into coconut milk until dissolved.

With mixer running at low, add flour alternately with milk mixture in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour, just until flour is blended in.

With mixer running at low, slowly pour in boiling water, followed by chocolate.  Mix just until blended in and no streaks remain.

Okay, a few streaks won't kill you.

Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.  Wipe up any spills from edge of pan.

Cake might fall a bit in center, but doesn't affect flavor.

Bake on center rack for 45-60 minutes, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and, when lightly pressed in center, cake springs back.

Place pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Invert pan onto plate large enough to hold entire cake.  Peel off parchment, then invert back onto cooling rack.

 Let cake cool completely before slicing.