Diary of a Secret Housewife: Chocolatey Mocha Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

I had a realization -- nay, an epiphany -- yesterday when I made a cake for a party to celebrate the imminent arrival of friend Laura's second baby.  I've always maintained that red velvet is my favorite cake flavor.  BUT what I realized yesterday is that when I say "red velvet" is my favorite, what I'm really saying is "Give me a tub of cream cheese icing, stat."

That's right.  All this time I was thinking what I loved about red velvet cake is its red velvetness, what I really craved was its cream cheesiness.  And that cream cheesiness can be attained with any cake, including the truly spectacular and moist Ina Garten "double chocolate layer cake," which, trust me, you really must make.  Today.

I made said chocolate cake, but I decided not to use the (delicious) mocha frosting that was part of the recipe because the frosting involved a raw egg yolk.  Raw egg yolk + pregnant lady = potential badness. So I improvised my own frosting.  And if I can just toot my own horn for a moment -- toot toot -- the improvised frosting is pretty damn good.  And it only involves three steps:

1. Mix one 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temperature) with 1/4 cup of butter (room temperature) until smooth and creamy.

2. Slowly add in 3 cups of confectioner's sugar.  You can decrease the amount of sugar if you don't mind a more melty frosting.

3. Add in 3/4 cup of high quality unsweetened cocoa powder.

That's it!  Easy.  Delicious.  You'll stick your head in the bowl and lick it.  It's that awesome.

I will never need to eat red dye again.  Bye bye red velvet!  Hello cream cheese heaven.