There is a cake that is always a staple in our home. It has been a mainstay for a long while, but until yesterday, it existed under the mundane title 'chocolate cake.' The cake's new name evolved after a week of dealing with 'heartbreak' in its varied forms...which laid claim...to its various victims.
Ahh...heartbreak...the word that sends chills up our spine and a bitter nauseas feeling in the depths of our stomachs...the pain that oftentimes feels as if it's the most excruciating of all pains...the pain that leaves a vast gaping hole somewhere deep within our souls...the sorrowful ache that may...or may not...ever heal.
Last week's broken hearts involved a possible permanent break of a relationship that was only a few weeks old-but seemed to 'have the potential to create forever,'
a young teenage boy torn between two girls-both seeking his affection,
a relationship that spanned about a year and involved a reconnection of young lovers,
an elderly man losing his bride of five years-the love of his life, to the evil of cancer,
and also, an intense time of grief and mourning caused by a very old 'first love' re-connection that had to be dissolved because sometimes true love walks away in order to protect and preserve what seems to be the best for the other.
If ever a week required a massive dose of chocolate...this one most certainly did!
What is it about chocolate and heartbreak that seem to coexist? It has to be more than just the fact that we consider chocolate to be a comfort food. Perhaps it's the fact that chocolate affects the brain and causes the release of certain neurotransmitters. Eating chocolate, does indeed, increase the levels of endorphins in the brain. These endorphins lessen pain and decrease stress. Serotonin, a known anti-depressant, is also released from the consumption of chocolate.
With these facts coming to the surface I am now convinced that there is truly a medicinal use for chocolate cake. The 'feel better' effects it produces are not imagined at all but are based on a scientifically sound premise that chocolate enhances our mood and can-at least temporarily-lessen the inner grief and turmoil experienced during those times when we feel our heart is shattering into thousands of scattered pieces.
So, here's to this upcoming week
~less heartache
~less need for ...
"Chocolate Heartbreak Cake."
Duncan Hines Devils Food Chocolate Cake Mix
3.9 oz box Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients-adding the chocolate chips and bits last. Bake 350 for 50-55 minutes in a greased bundt pan. Frost with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed with a little milk,powdered sugar and vanilla to taste. Drizzle over top of cake and let it run down the sides. Sprinkle the warm frosting with a chopped Heath Candy Bar.
Enjoy that serotonin and those endorphins ...as you feel the warmth, love, and healing that only chocolate cake can provide.
From my heart to yours...with love.
