dessert: chocolate cake

I used to be a really bad baker ... I couldn't even make chocolate chip cookies. I would just get so nervous about making a mistake -- which would cause me to forget a major ingredient (ie. sugar). Over the past year something started clicking with me... a few recipes came out well and I started to get some confidence.

Even in the worst-baker-ever phase, this Barefoot Contessa cake always came out so great. It will be the only chocolate cake recipe I ever use -- seriously, it's that good. And lucky for me, fool proof.