Peat cake according to a GDR recipe

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 300 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 250 g margarine or butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• 250 g flour
• 200 g sour cream
• Fat for the mold
• Breadcrumbs for the form

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Moist chocolate cake

Here’s my recipe, passed down from my great-grandmother. Beat the sugar, eggs, and margarine with a hand mixer until fluffy. Mix the flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder together, then mix everything with the sour cream for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into a 28cm loaf pan that has been greased and dusted with breadcrumbs (or semolina or coconut flakes), filling it to about 1cm below the rim. Bake on the lowest rack at 190-200°C (top and bottom heat) for 20 minutes, then score the top with a knife and bake the cake for another 50 minutes. The top of the cake may turn slightly darker; to prevent this, cover it with aluminum foil, for example. The skewer test will tell you if the cake is done; no batter should stick to the wooden skewer. Let it cool in the pan or turn it out (that’s what I do). The cake is moist and tastes chocolatey. If it’s a bit sticky on the inside, it needs to bake longer or you might need to use a different pan. Have fun trying it out!