tunnel of fudge cake—a cautionary tale

as a general rule, i'm not a cake person (i like to save my calories for more important things, like hot pretzels and pie). but there are times when i make an exception, and mom's birthday is one of them.
mom used to make this recipe for aunt margy on her birthday, but now i make it for her on her birthday. it's totally rich and completely delicious. it's also really dangerous (do not keep this cake in your possession unless you have people around to help you eat it. because you'll want to eat it all. you'll try not to, and you'll fail.)

tunnel of fudge cake
cake:
   1 3/4 cups margarine or butter, softened
   1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
   6 eggs
   2 cups powdered sugar
   2 1/4 cups all purpose flour*
   3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
   2 cups chopped nuts (we use walnuts)**

glaze:
   3/4 cup powdered sugar
   1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
   1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

directions:
heat oven to 350°F. grease and flour fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. in large bowl, beat margarine and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. gradually add powdered sugar; blend well. by hand, stir in remaining cake ingredients until well blended. spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. bake at 350°F for 58 to 62 minutes.*** cool upright in pan on wire rack 1 hour; invert onto serving plate. cool completely.
in small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until well blended. spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. store tightly covered.

*last year i attempted to make this cake while watching sam, forgot to put in the flour, and had to do a total re-do after the inversion was an epic fail. do not forget the flour. it is not optional. this year i waited until the kids went to bed to bake and got it right on the first try. rock.

**nuts are also essential. do not omit. if you don't like nuts, make something else. also, you're crazy. if you're allergic to nuts, you're not necessarily crazy, but you should probably avoid contact with us.

***since this cake has a soft tunnel of fudge, ordinary doneness tests do not apply. accurate oven temperature and bake time are essential. prayers to the baking gods are good too. no burnt offerings.

makes 16 servings
nutrition (1/16th of cake): 540 calories, 8g protein, 58g carbs, 33g fat, 100mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 300 mg sodium, 160mg potassium, 4% calcium US RDA, 10% iron US RDA

the lucy project—month 10

lucy at 10 months old:

• likes to snack on rice krispies. yes, plain old rice krispies. she's figured out that if she gets her fingers wet, they stick. so she'll put out her little pointer finger and catch one on the tip and then put it in her mouth. she'll sit and eat a whole pile of them this way. it's very cute. plus it makes a great distraction while i'm trying to get dinner made.
• is still eating like a champ. she consistently amazes me with her willingness to try just about anything i dangle in front of her little mouth. last weekend she ate a bunch of mom's three bean salad, despite the vingary dressing (i don't think sam would've done that at her age). and the tuesday before that she put a ginormous (well, relatively ginormous) piece of watermelon in her mouth before i could cut it up for her. i thought maybe she'd have a little trouble with it, but no, she handled it. and quickly too! her most recent favorites: chocolate chip cookies (duh), ice cream (double duh, and there might be some crying when it's gone), and raisins (i believe she would eat raisins all day long if i let her).
• is recently doing this yoga move where she puts her head down on the floor while sitting with her legs in front of her, and then gives a great big smile. my little yogi. it reminds me of sam tilting his head and giving his "i'm turning on my cuteness" smile.
• has discovered the "let's drop this on the floor and see if someone will pick it up for me" game. she loves it. me, not so much.
• has started to roll a ball back and forth with me
• can turn off her own light switch (as long as someone is holding her there to do it, of course)
• likes to brush her own teeth (she recently got her own real toothbrush)
• and speaking of teeth, is attempting to sprout a third one on top (though oddly, it doesn't appear to be one of the front two)
• every once in a while will make motions like she's going to go crawling across the floor, or pull herself up to stand holding onto the coffee table. i've never actually seen her do it yet though.
• will start clapping her hands when she hears me start to sing "if you're happy and you know it" and will click her tongue if she hears me sing the "bingo" song (that's the noise i make when i leave out letters)
• has actually been going to bed in her very own crib and will typically stay there until 1 or 2am, but i have to put her down on her side. i almost always find her on her back when she wakes up.
• will sit and play and play as long as sam is in the same room with her (he doesn't even have to be playing with her, just there making noises or describing the "game" he's made up in excruciating detail. that boy is magic. also his imagination is tremendous.)
• is overall such a sweet, charming little person. i'm still not sure how i got so lucky to have TWO amazing children. probably better not to question it, but just enjoy.