Glazed Chocolate Honey Cake

This four layer cake is simpler than its looks. In fact, we'd go so far as to call it easy. Shelter in place means more time to practice so that once you can start visiting friends again, you'll be able to whip this up in no time to share.

Ingredients

9 eggs, separated

6 tbsp. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. honey

lemon juice

1/2 tsp. baking soda

8 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 container cool whip

5 tbsp. sour cream

5 tbsp. powdered sugar

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F.

2. Separate 9 eggs. Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Mix in 6 tbsp. of granulated sugar, one tbsp. at a time. Then add 3 tbsp. of honey, one tbsp. at a time.

3. Use some lemon juice (approx. 1 tsp.) to dissolve 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Add to egg yolks and mix.

4. Mix together the two egg mixtures.

5. Mix together 8 tbsp. flour and 1 tbsp. cocoa powder. Slowly add to batter.

6. Divide your batter in 4 for the four sheets. Take a sheet pan, flip over, and rub butter across the bottom. Take 1/4 of your batter and spread across the pan. Bake for 4-5 minutes until layer looks fluffy and has taken on a darker color. Be careful not to let it burn.

7. Take pan out of the oven and use a knife to slide under the cake layer to separate it from the pan. You may not be able to do it all in one straight shot but in sections. Work gently. Once done, set layer aside to cool. Clean pan, butter the pan, and spread out your next layer. Repeat two more times.

8. As you bake the chocolate layers, you can make the cream mixture to put between layers. Mix the container of cool whip, 5 tbsp. sour cream (or greek yogurt if you need to substitute), and 5 tbsp. powdered sugar. Beating by hand works well but you can also use a mixer (less mess the first way!).

9. Because the layers are so thin and cool so quickly, you can start building your cake while you wait for layers to bake. Just divide the cream mixture in three and spread between layers. One word of caution: chocolate layers, depending on how well you are able to release from the pan, will not always look perfect. One approach is to build the cake as you go. Another is to save the nicest looking chocolate layer for the top. Imperfections in the chocolate layer will not show in between layers but will be very obvious beneath the glaze.

10. Once you have your cake built, go ahead and make the glaze. Boil together 6 tbsp. sugar and 6 tbsp. water. Once boiling, add 1 tbsp. cocoa powder and 4 tbsp. butter. Mix quickly. The glaze is done once the mixture thickens and there are fewer bubbles.

11. Set the cake in the refrigerator to cool. Once you are ready to cut and serve, have a glass of water handy so that you can dip the knife in to make it easier to cut the pieces. Use a napkin to wipe off the excess cream and cake off the knife before dipping into water.

12. Voila! Enjoy!