SERVES 10

The beans in cacao pods are dried in the sun before being grated, cleaned, roasted, and milled into chocolate liquor, which in turn becomes cocoa powder or eating chocolate. The next thing you know, it ends up in an irresistible chocolate cake like this one, adapted from Robbin Gourley's Cakewalk (Doubleday, 1994).

FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup milk
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into chunks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE ICING:
2 cups granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup light corn syrup
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. For the cake: Scald milk in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and cover. Set aside for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 9" cake pans and line with rounds of greased wax paper. Sift flour and salt together. Dissolve baking soda in 1⁄3 cup hot water.

3. In a mixer, cream sugars into shortening until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, continuing to beat well. Add flour and chocolate mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Beat in soda water and vanilla.

4. Divide batter equally among pans, and smooth it. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into cakes comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out of pans.

5. For the icing: Place sugar, corn syrup, milk, butter, chocolate, and salt in a saucepan and cook over low heat until melted. Over high heat boil for a minute or so (or until mixture reaches 220° on candy thermometer).

6. Pour icing into a small mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until slightly cooled. Add vanilla. Increase speed and beat until icing is workable.

7. Working fast before icing sets, spread between layers and on top of cake.