Blueberry Chocolate Cake

     For some reason, most people assume it's really difficult to bake a cake from scratch.  The truth is it's really not, and boxed cake mix is mostly just flour, cocoa powder, and sugar packaged up all pretty.  It probably takes less than 10 extra minutes to mix that stuff up yourself. So here's one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. The blueberries add a little hint of fruitiness but are not overpowering.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, puree 1/2 cup of blueberries with the water and the egg.

3. Mix this puree into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat with a whisk until smooth.
4. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8x8 glass dish and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

5. Remove cake from oven and flip the pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

6. For frosting, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water). Then stir in the cream and continue to heat until smooth.

7. Let the frosting cool for about 10 minutes, then spread it onto the cake. Use the back of a spoon to create a smooth layer.

8. Sprinkle the other half of the blueberries over the top. It's best to try when it's still a little warm, but be sure to store it in the fridge after that because of the cream in the frosting.

This is one of my very favorite desserts, and I hope it becomes on of yours too! Check back tomorrow for two breaded chicken recipes.