Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 10:08:29 -0500 
From: "Mary A. Mark" <mmbt+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Black Death Birthdays (Recipe Included)


"Hey Mike, can you give me a hand with these doors?"  

"Sure thing, Merrigold."  replies Mike, walking to the
back of the bar, and holding open the door to the callahan's
kitchen.  "Hey, that does look good! "

Merrigold backs into the room, pulling a chef's trolley. 
She grins at Mike: "Thanks for letting me use your kitchen!"
then turns the trolley, and herself, around to face the room.  
She is wearing a once-white chef's apron, now
liberally dusted with a covering of powdered Belgian
chocolate, and the chef's cap on her head reads
"Callebaut chocolate: the only *true* chocolate is dark chocolate"
Her hands have been washed clean, but there's still a streak
of chocolate down one cheek, which she seems to have missed.

On the trolley before her sit (In Chorus: "OOOOhhhh, AAAAAAh")
1) A very large, absolutely black, chocolate cake  (Remember the
   absolutely black ship that gets stolen by Zaphod Beeblebrox?  Well,
   this cake is *that* absolutely black.  Yes, really.  Absorbs light.)
2) A large bowl of whipped cream (no sugar, no flavoring, just cream)
3) A stack of plates, spoons, forks, etc.
4) A large serving knife

Merrigold lifts the knife, cuts the cake (you can see her *working*
to push the knife through the cake: it's *really* dense) and puts
the first two slices onto a pair of plates.  She then loads them
with whipped cream, and adds forks. 

"Once I've handed these two slices out, the cake is fair game!
But I've brought this cake here in honour of two friends of mine,
Chris Welch (Urban Spaceman) and John Ockerbloom, and the first
two slices go to them. They're both celebrating birthdays this week 
(Chris on the 16th and John on the 18th) and I wanted to celebrate them.
Since I can't manage to be in the UK, Chris, I hope you'll accept
this virtual cake, with virtual hugs, and warmth and affection.  
And since John lives in Pittsburgh, I can offer him an actual hug!"

                    "Happy Birthdays to you both!"

"Oh, and Mike, could you mix me up a mint tea, please, and a
hot mulled cider?  For Chris and John, to go with their cake..."

"I don't normally do virtual birthdays, so I thought I would
justify this one by making it possible for people to make the 
actual cake!  Here's the recipe.  P'relan, Toothpick, and
John Ockerbloom have had the chance to taste this in actuality,
in the past, so they can vouch that it's worth making (and eating).
As P'relan said 'It's to die for!'  Hence the name.  I hope 
you'll all enjoy it. "

==============================================================
THE BLACK DEATH
(AKA. Chocolate Yoghurt Poundcake)

Ingrediants:
1 pound butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup cocoa
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla, almond, or lemon extract
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350'F.  

Generously butter a 10-inch bundt pan.  Dust the inside with sifted cocoa.
This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, and give it a lovely
dark smooth finish.

Cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs.  Add two cups of flour
and beat well.  Mix in the milk and extract.  Combine the baking powder,
the remaining flour, and the cocoa, and add them to the batter. Beat well.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan.  Bake about 1 hour, until the cake
pulls slightly away from the sides of the pan, and a knife inserted into
the middle of the pan comes out clean.  

Remove from oven, and turn upside down over a plate to cool.  Leave the 
bundt pan on top of the cake for about 20 minutes, so the cake will
hold it's shape. 

If you wish, brush melted sweet chocolate over the cooled cake.  Or, 
do as I prefer: serve it with pure whipped cream.  And cut those slices 
small - they're pretty deadly!  It's the only cake I know of that you
serve with the cream to *lighten it up*, not to make it richer!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mary Mark                    email: mmbt+@andrew.cmu.edu
Department of Psychology       
Carnegie Mellon University  "Practice random kindness
Pittsburgh,PA                and engage in senseless acts of beauty."
U.S.A.                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Newsgroups: alt.callahans