Squidgy Chocolate Cake
This weekend I’ve lived on thick slices of (my new very favourite) chocolate cake and cold 2% milk. I shave off a slice – the combo is a perfect pairing with the rain and a lax schedule, our camping plans cancelled due to said rain.
I have five cakes on my countertop. (Or had five of them…) Funny(ish) story: on Friday, I had about an hour and a half between a cooking demo and judging the Sundown Chowdown, where the Food Blogger Bake Sale was also being held to raise funds for the Calgary Foundation. I thought I had timed it perfectly: come home, stir up a double batch of chocolate zucchini cake batter while skyping from my laptop on the kitchen counter beside the mixing bowl, bake cakes in aluminum baking pans from the dollar store and finish up work/skype as they bake in perfect time to make it to the event. Which I would have missed entirely had I not noticed a tweet evidencing that it had just started – an hour before I wrote it on my calendar and halfway through the cakes’ baking time. And so. Wait for the cakes to bake and miss it, or abandon the cakes and make it there late? I opted for door #2, turned the oven off, cakes inside, and jumped in the car to attempt to make it through rush hour.
I told my sad tale and donated money instead, thinking my cakes would be tossed. And later, when I came home and retrieved them from the cold oven they were as sunken in their middles as I thought they’d be. But when I cut into one, I found they weren’t all gooey, gummy and underbaked inside, but rather dense and appealingly squidgy. Not as damp and compressed as Nigella’s, but wonderfully moist – exactly everything I love in a chocolate cake, with no need for frosting.
The grated zucchini completely disappears – there’s no trace of it – and while you could add a handful of chocolate chips or walnuts, there’s no need; with each slice I’ve wondered if I actually did add chocolate chips – it’s that chocolatey – and I don’t think I would add them now, for fear of upsetting that perfect balance. Of course as unfrosted loaves, it’s an ideal sort of cake to wrap slices of to tuck into lunchboxes or bring along to work. But if I were to add a thick layer of frosting, I might go for cream cheese. But I can’t imagine eating it any other way than with the coldest milk possible.
Squidgy Chocolate Cake
AuthorJuliePreheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar on high speed with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add a third to the butter mixture and beat on low or stir just until blended; add half the yogurt and half the zucchini and do the same. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the yogurt and zucchini, and the rest of the flour. Spoon the thick batter into two loaf pans, smoothing the top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch, or still sunken in the middle - it's up to you. Cool in their pans on a wire rack.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar on high speed with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add a third to the butter mixture and beat on low or stir just until blended; add half the yogurt and half the zucchini and do the same. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the yogurt and zucchini, and the rest of the flour. Spoon the thick batter into two loaf pans, smoothing the top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch, or still sunken in the middle - it's up to you. Cool in their pans on a wire rack.
1. I love the word squidgy. It’s how I like my hard boiled eggs. Squidgy cake sounds DIVINE.
2. Everyone comes here because of you, your beautiful photographs and your recipes. As long as those remain, I think you are golden. If you make a recipe index that is more usable….even better.
3. Good luck because site redesigns blow….ask me how I know.
I visit your site a lot and my big request would be to make it as searchable as possible. That way I can just search for a key ingredient etc. Thanks!
What I like most about the site is your recipes and what you write here. As long as your content is here, I don’t think it’s possible to take away what I like.
That said, it is difficult to search sometimes. I’ve had to resort to Google using keywords to find a specific recipe I just KNOW I read about here. The other major thing I think most blogs should consider these days is mobile accessibility. Half the time I am reading on my iPad (or I’ll prop it on the counter and follow a recipe directly on it) and if a page doesn’t have a mobile version it can be cumbersome.
I think you’ve just got so many entries on here, it might be a difficult task to overhaul it by yourself and sounds like a bit of a nightmare. I don’t blame you for putting it off for years. You’d probably rather be thinking up new recipes!
Any web person is going to show you what it could look like before they do anything drastic, though, if you decide to have someone else do it. If you hate it, it won’t hurt their feelings, that’s part of their job. They’ll just change it to something you will be happy with. 🙂 As a working artist who takes commissions, for me that’s just part of it. You do sketches, maybe people don’t like them, you do some other ones. I’d rather do a bit more work up-front and make sure a client is happy at the end.
Whatever you decide, good luck with it! I’m sure it’ll be great.
DwJ is about your stories and recipes, and some pretty amazing photos. Get the index updated and/or searchable recipes by keyword and you’ll be golden.
Sometimes the greatest gifts are not wrapped in the fanciest packaging 🙂
ditto to above
I hear you, I have a pile(Mount Everest) of projects that I’ve been meaning to get to for far too long. I’ve tackled the somewhat neglected kitchen, next on the list is the living room.
Regarding DWJ – ditto what Merry said – we come here because of you, your words & pictures. I’m glad you stuck around after that first year 🙂
I remember when you made that header and conversations we had about hand washing before dinner.
I must admit, I don’t get here as often as I do, but when I’m here it always feels like you. A conversation, whether captured or long. The energy and light of you and your space. And always the ability to translate your excitement for food and cooking to the written word. It makes me happy to see your kitchen table as the backdrop all the time because I so associate it with you and your cooking and your gatherings.
Does it HAVE to change? I love it (and you) as it is. I know where everything is. Ok – just one thing – when I use the search option on simplyrecipes.com a list of the blog posts with those recipes comes up instead of the full blog posts that you have to scroll through. Could you find someone to figure out how to do that?
Happy fall!
I think if there was a way to organize your recipes like a portfolio (almost a thumbnail style – you can sort of see my website http://www.crystalink.ca click on the portfolio and you can see what I mean) – that way there are categories for each and then you can tag them in more than one category. I know there is a meatball recipe I keep searching for and the crusty bread recipe and it takes a bit to find them again.
Overall just re-thinking the purpose of your site. Is it about the recipes or the advice you share? Perhaps break it up – have your blog and then post the recipes on their own page which you link to directly from your blog. That way when one wants to print out your recipe they only need to print that portion instead of the full blog. Then that way you have both the blog and then recipe portion separate and yet connected.
I totally agree with a few of the other responses – I like it just the way it is – don’t make it fancy smancy as it just wouldn’t be Dinner With Julie without the funny stories and just the ‘regular’ day to day life you tell us about. A better index would also be my only wish so I can find some of the recipes that I know I have read on your blog.
I visit your site everyday, and it’s the content that draws me–I love your writing style and your gorgeous pictures; your winning personality shines brightly and even though I’ve never met you, when I come here, I feel like I’m visiting with a good friend. I can’t imagine what sort of changes you could make that would keep me away!
My advice is to trust your web guy, he’s the one with the expertise. Be prepared to give him specific input about what you want, and let him work the magic. DIY is fine if you have endless amounts of time and energy to spare, but which mother/wife/career woman has that?
Stay true to yourself, and you won’t go wrong. Be bold, the first step is the hardest 🙂 Sending hugs and wishes for every success.
Excellent advice! I should have specified that he outsources the design stuff to someone else – and it’s the design I’d like to have control over to make sure I like it and it’s true to me and my style. As for the rest – yes, while I really like knowing how to take care of the back end stuff myself, and understanding how things work rather than having to rely on someone else, I have learned to outsource some things to the experts!
Hi, I tend to be a lurker, not much of a chatter. But I don’t think you need to change your blog (in fact, please don’t). Just a better index/search function would be great. This is definitely a case of “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” … unless YOU need a change. Personally, I would miss your posts combined with food. I feel like I’m hanging out with you in the kitchen, you know? Thanks for the time you do put in here. It is appreciated.
For me the index is most important as well as an easy way to print out your recipes. Your recipes are always dependable and my family loves everything that I make from your site. Keep the recipes coming and everything else will be fantastic!
Julie, you have a great site with amazing recipes that I have been making for years. As others have mentioned, searching can sometimes be a challenge. Keep on cooking! Thanks!
I’ve followed this site from the beginning, as well as listening to you on CBC. I love your stories and your “down-to-earth” recipes that can be made with ingredients that I already have. Yours is the first site I go to when looking for recipe ideas. BUT, the site does need better search capabilities – it is sometimes really hard to find what I’m looking for. Also, a better print function, so that I can just print the recipe, but also know where it came from. (Currently, I usually cut and paste from the blog into Word and then edit so that it will fit on one page). The content is great, just needs a bit of tweaking.
Wow, this is such great advice you guys! Thanks for the links to indexes that work.. I’ve been compulsively looking at recipe indexes on other blogs, trying to figure out how to best do it (and dreading the amount of time it’s going to take to go through and index 6 years’ worth of posts!) – a few people have asked me to NOT CHANGE, but unfortunately this theme is now defunct and not supported… thus my inability to add to the index page for the past few years.. so I do need a new framework, which will mean a new look. Which is scary! But don’t worry.. the content will stay just the same!
My favorite blog designs are the minimalist ones: white background, nothing flashing, no ads, good photography. And then with links to important ABOUT stuff, especially about the blog author (author pictures are important if the reader is to connect with the writer).
That’s all. I love this site and the food wisdom you so casually and warmly share with us. Thanks!
What I love about your website is you. Personally other than the cute picture if your son, I couldn’t tell you what it looks like. I live the blog, your stories and the recipes. If I can’t find a recipe on your website I just google search it. Relax. Though it might be time to update your bio. Turn the rest over to someone and then you can stop worrying about the change and just start getting used to it.
I haven’t read all of the replies but this is how I use your site:
1. Check daily or every other day for new posting. Read it.
2. Sometime later, remember there was a recipe you posted that sounded interesting, and want to find it again, but remember very little about it. Like maybe “chocolate zucchini” and try to search for it. Wade through results that aren’t all that relevant due to the “maybe you’d also like…” thumbnails at the bottom that aren’t necessarily relevant. Eventually find it, likely realizing that I forgot the title entirely (e.g. “zucchini” does not actually appear in the title of this one) and then make the recipe.
So to make my personal life easier, I would concentrate on the recipe index. Options to view it in thumbnail mode versus list would be helpful. Option to search by ingredient would be awesome (show me all posts with ingredients of zucchini, not just those mentioned in text) – but that’s probably asking for the moon 😉
Actual title design at top and look of graphics is unimportant to me. I like the banner you have now, even if W is 5 😉
ME? Give YOU advice? About a BLOG? Hahahahahahahaha!
I’ll visit you no matter what you look like or function as! But do keep the photo of W eyeing the greenery–so cute.
Funny, I actually think of your blog as neat and tidy! That probably has something to do with your use of white space. I think a blog, like a home, needs enough white space to truly appreciate what you want to be seen. Whatever decisions you make, just keep being you. It sounds cheesy, but it’s so true that no one can be as you as you.
By the way, I’m honoured you’d Skype with me in the middle of that crazy day!!! Feel free next time to tell me to bugger off.
I visit your site regularly and forward recipes I know my friends and family will like. The photographs are instructive and encouraging. Like others’ comments, I remember a recipe but have trouble sometimes finding it. The advice is so helpful and I read through that too. I appreciate that you “brand” and presence has grown but I would hate for DwJ to lose it’s girl next door feel.
This may be a quirk only I have, but I like to read blogs that I like, from start to most recent post, like a book. Your blog has so many great recipes and ideas that I have done this more than once for inspiration and entertainment, but it isn’t really possible anymore with the way it’s set up now. Most blogs (including yours, I think) used to have a set of links at the top or bottom of each post, allowing the reader to navigate to the last post, the next post, or the homepage, something like this: – I would really like to see that back again. Other than that, please just keep going – your blog is a constant source of enjoyment and I look forward to reading it every day!
Oops, my example disappeared, but hopefully the description is self-explanatory!
I love you site, including the name. When I think about DwJ, I don’t just think about you whipping up a dinner, but also any food item or a story that surrounds food. I sit down with DwJ almost daily.
Searching made easier would be awesome. Perhaps by ingred and/or recipe name and/or recipe type.
Thank you for having this blog. It is one of my favourites!
I really like that your personality comes through on the website ( as well as the radio)! Good photos, great recipes, a kitchen that I can relate to – comfy! I guess when it says there are 21 slow cooker recipes, I would like to be able to click on that link and see the whole list. Thanks for sharing!
Really same comments as many. Love the way you write. I find the searching difficult. Maybe if the search brought up the recipes only and then when you click you get the “story” part too?
There are so many amazing pictorial type blog themes now – get that index functionality nailed and find a site that focuses on photos and then don’t change a thing. What is awesome about you Julie is you are not fussy, you are the real meat and potatoes and your site reflects that. Just make it easier to access all your content and keep that awesome writing style and delicious photos. Nothing else needs to happen here to be amazing.
I love your site, it has brought my family so many happy dinners and baked goods and everything else. That being said, it is very hard to search for old recipes, I get loads of non-related things. And the thumbnails at the bottom load slowly so that trying to click through usually ends up taking me to said thumbnail by accident when I just wanted to do see the previous entry. So the main thing really is searching. Everything else is lovely. Thank you for all the yummy joy!
Love it as is, but I get it – change is scary but usually good 🙂
Could I make one request of what I’d prefer you NOT to do? That is split the entires up into parts (ie. having to “click to read more” or “click here for the recipe”). As sad as it sounds, I often don’t bother (or don’t want to wait – I know, who could possibly be that impatient? Um, me.) to click through and I love reading everything all together. Especially because your recipes are often not really recipes, but rather anecdotes, really. But I won’t desert you. Julie! Do what makes you happiest! 🙂
I agree with the above. No “read more” link button. I love the content and photos. I always google the recipes I need. Maybe add dates? I often think ” Last fall there was this recipe and I don’t remember what it was for”, and having dates on your posts might help.
Love this blog as is right now. To echo a lot of the comments above, updating the index would be great! I actually like the banner at the top 🙂 Cute, clear, and cookies (needed a third word that starts with ‘c’)!
Do you know what I love about your blog? Any time I want to make something new, and there are conflicting ideas out there about how to make it, I check your site and it’s usually there. Churros? Check. Noodle salad? Check. Rhubarb syrup for cocktails? Check, etc., etc.
But I do find it’s hard to search sometimes – for example, I tried searching for salad rolls a while back and got nothing – only found them when I searched ‘Vietnamese’
I saw that someone commented on going back to the beginning, and I would love to do that as well – I think I found this blog around October of your first year, and I would really like to read your first year of posts.
Echoing many comments above, in that it would be great if the search function was a bit better. I’m always searching for the skillet strawberry jam post, but when you type that in, the first result is for chinese takeout (?) and you have to go to the next page of results to see the jam. (that post changed my life by the way!)
Wow, you guys are great. It’s true – I do need to focus on a really great index – and I’ll get Mitch to help me set that up! Thanks for reminding me that the design is secondary – it makes me relax about that part a little. And got it – no “read more” after the jump… I think most blogs do that to double their clicks, but I find it annoying too. Just put it all in one place!
Funny you mention the header; I’ve never felt it was “you.” But I’ve also never cared. I’m here for the stories and food. Work on the index. Think about maybe a different header, but don’t agonize about it, cause we are not here for that. Can hardly wait to try the squidgy cake!
And Amy – I loved talking to you! It worked out perfectly… or would have had I got the time of my event right! D’oh!
Julie, I love your family stories with reference to W (as he grows)and Mike and the rest of your family and your vacations and your travels. They make your posts personal and bring you into my home as a friend from afar. You have so many great recipes, just make the listings more comprehensive and more accessible by key word searches. Otherwise, change nothing, especially your focus and writing style.
Julie- love your site as is. My only suggestion would be a better print function- love your stories but hate printing bits and pieces of them with the recipe!
First of all, bravo for taking the leap to build a new site! Change is so scary, but it sounds like everyone here will still be here no matter what! I adore your recipes and your writing style, like everyone else. And yes, a more user-friendly search experience is a must. But I’ll perhaps be the first to admit that I’m on your actual full website rather infrequently. Rather, I follow all your posts via Feedly (or click through from Twitter) and 99% of the time read them on my phone. So for me, the mobile experience is key. Any site loses me if it isn’t built for mobile. Ain’t nobody got time for that 😉
I find so many of your recipe links are broken – I’ve stopped trying to access many of them.
ERMAGERD. That cake looks amazing. I wonder if I could make a vegan version or if that would lose its squidginess. I’ll keep you posted!
Recipe index, yes, that would be awesome. Other than that, I read because I love your recipes and your stories and you’re awesome.
Your content is fantastic! I love the way it sounds like we’re having a conversation while I read your words 🙂
A print link embedded within the recipe block would be nice and would make printing your recipes a bit easier.
Good luck with the re-design. I’m a bit ‘detail-oriented’ and like to do everything myself – but I’m finding it actually works better to let someone else do the work I’m not best suited for – and I supervise 🙂
Hi Julie,
Here’s what I love about your website:
1. You
2. Your stories
3. Your recipes and pics and advice about how to do things.
4. The light and airy feeling of the website, plus its simplicity.
Here’s what would make your website even more fabulous:
1. Better search functions. I don’t always find what I’m looking for when I put in search terms, or have to search through a lot of posts to find it.
Thanks for producing such a FABULOUS website for all these years. You are the first person I go to when looking for a recipe or how to to cook something.
PS – the chocolate cake looks fabulous!
I’m definitely with everyone on making recipe searches easier but I’d like to ask for one more thing. If it would be possible to have a print button for only the recipe itself it would really save me time having to cut and paste. It’s such a first-world problem but if the option is easy and available that would be great!
@Robyn who is searching for “skillet strawberry jam” — try literally putting the quotes around it in the search box, since you know that is the proper title of the post. I think the reason the chinese food one is coming up first is because it uses the work skillet a zillion times.
When I put the quotes, the correct post became the first result.
Love your site and check it on regular basis.
Your recipes are practical and always turn out.
The recipe index is kind of slow – so – when you have a recipe I like I just copy it to my recipe file.
Really like your soups and salads. Usually skip the cakes and cookies as am trying to keep refined sugars out of my life.
You mentioned camping – would love some easy and nutritious one pot camping recipes. Also more slow cooker recipes.
Thanks again – and like others have said – I love your blog the way it is. Great combination of narrative, photos, and recipes.
Julie,
I love that you are so focused on your readers! I love your stories, the series of pictures as you create something wonderful, and the encouragement you give us to stretch (“You, yes you, can make pain au chocolat!”).
As Roxanne, Ann and others have said, the search and the index could be improved. I would love to be able to search by Ingredient (i.e. Swiss Chard) and find all your recipes with that ingredient, whether or not it is in the title.
Be Calm and Carry On!
1. I would like that cake to appear in my kitchen asap.
2. It would be nice to have an easy to navigate recipe index
3. Ahhh I need to re-write my old and completely irrelevant ‘about me’ section to.. but I don’t wanna
I check your blog at least once a day! I agree with the others – I love the content and the in-your-kitchen feel. I really like the ‘what I may have missed’ feature. Thanks for all your hard work, you are the BEST!!
Julie – I have been with you since your first year. I love everything about your site. The only thing to improve would be the search and index. Sometimes I will search and something obscure will appear. I love Diane’s idea about searching by ingredient. Don’t feel like this is huge… just a few improvements to make it even better! Love the Larabars by the way!!!
Julie don’t change too much. Your stories, style, honesty and humour are endearing and heartwarming, your instructions are so helpful and on countless occassions you have provided me the inspiration and confidence to attempt adventurous new recipes. I love your photos. An easier to navigate recipe index is all I suggest.
I agree with most comments, making it easier to find recipes would be something I look forward to seeing. I LOVE your blog, your recipes and your lovely, entertaining stories. Your true personality shows through in your writing. Don’t ever change that! And do not stress about the minutia, you cannot please everyone.
Yours is the only food blog I follow and subscribe to. Love it and would only change the search/index functions. Thanks
I love you on the radio, your blog and recipes are the best, but…your website is the worst.
Impossible to search for recipes so I end up printing far to much.
May I suggest adding a “Recipe Box” for the readers on your site.
Keep up the good work.
Let’s support local businesses by making use of a local ‘man and his van’
to shift the bulky items.
Hi Julie. I love your site/recipes! I just wish under your recipe response section people would leave comments relating to your recipes and not about your stories/websites. There’s no doubt that their comments are wonderful, but I wish there was another location for those comments. When I’m researching a recipe, I’m mostly interested in other peoples experience with the recipe and not commentary about your wonderful stories.