The recipe is from All Recipes, for the Extreme Chocolate Cake. BUT–there is a crucial substitution that must be made, do NOT omit this step! Instead of one cup of dull boiling water, add 1 cup of exciting boiling coffee. Also, two other details that may make a significant difference.

1. I used Vahlrona cocoa obtained from Whole Foods–pricey, but SO worth it.

2. I used glass round dishes to bake in, I don’t know if this makes a difference, but might affect the moistness.

DISCLAIMER: If you do choose to make this cake, a common side effect is that all other chocolate cakes will never taste as good, ever.

I tried to go to Red Lobster for my birthday a few years ago, when I was still living in Oakland. Since my parents live down the Peninsula, we tried to meet up at the Red Lobster in Fremont, which in retrospect, while halfway in between, was still hella out of the way for everyone involved. At any rate, we get to Red Lobster and the parking lot is full. Bad sign. We go inside, and it’s way past standing room only, all I see are families of four lined around the diners. Apparently, it’s a 2 HOUR WAIT to get seated.

So instead, we went to Outback in Fremont, and let me tell you, I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to discover that they serve a deep-fried onion with dipping sauce just like Chili’s. I wish I could tell you what dishes they ripped off of Applebees and Ruby Tuesday, but I have not yet had the pleasure of dining at either of these fine establishments. Anyway, I saw one of Red Lobster’s salivation-inducing commercials today, which reminded me that their website does not disappoint!