So what do you do when you are totally stir crazy and about to be trapped in your house for the duration of what promises to be a very snowy super bowl weekend? Bake some freakin chocolate cake man!! This recipe was pilfered from a well worn article torn from a “Healthy Living” magazine of an  indeterminable age that the object of my eye completely and utterly swears by. So here goes:

Ingredients

For the Cake

• Vegie oil cooking spray
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup light olive oil (orig recipe is sunflower oil)
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp distilled white vinegar

For the Glaze

• 2 oz dark chocolate (preferably 70% cacao), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp water

Directions

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 375°. Coat an 8 inch round cake pan with spray.
2. Whisk water and cocoa in a small bowl until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add cocoa mixture, oil, vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into a pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. About 30-35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of cake, invert it onto rack, and turn the cake right side up. Let cool completely. Transfer cake to a serving plate or cake stand.
4. For the glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.
5. Whisk together sugar and water until smooth. Add melted chocolate in a slow, steady stream, whisking until thickened, about 1 minute. Immediately pour glaze onto center of cooled cake. Using an off set spatula, gently spread glaze over top and sides. Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Haha! As if it would last that long!