Baking basics for teen cooks: Chocolate dump cake

Do you have a budding chef at home? Bakery is a great family activity for parent-child bonding. The recipe we have today is a teen special, so it could be a perfect afternoon of baking with your young son or daughter. Why teen? This recipe requires using an oven, and the instructions, though simple, may not be suitable for kids below 13, or 12 with cooking exposure. Kids of all ages love chocolate. Once they are confident about baking it flawlessly, you can encourage them to bake it as a treat for their friends.  

Ingredients  
We are about to dump all the ingredients in a baking pan and make the cake, as the name suggests. So, make sure all measurements are correct.   

2 cups sugar 

¾ cup brewed black coffee (without milk or sugar) 

2 ounces dark chocolate 

¼ cup cocoa powder 

8 tablespoons butter 

2 cups flour 

1½ teaspoons baking soda 

1½ teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 tea cup milk 

2 eggs 

1½ teaspoons vanilla flavouring 

Chocolate sauce (optional) 

How to make chocolate dump cake 
1. Pour the sugar, coffee, chocolate, cocoa powder and butter in a medium size microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes). Check whether the butter and chocolate are melted and the sugar is dissolved when you take it out, if not, heat for 30 seconds more. 

2. Pour the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and add the chocolate mixture to it  

3. Add the milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until this batter is totally smooth  

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the cake baking pan with non-stick spray 

5. Pour the mixture into the heated pan, insert a toothpick in the middle, and bake for 30 minutes. Take it out and see if the toothpick is coming out smoothly without batter on it. If the toothpick has batter, bake for 10 more minutes  

6. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove it while it’s still warm, by inverting it onto a large plate or newspaper. Cool it, slice it and serve!