THE BEST Hot Chocolate Heart Cake Recipe EVER {and it's Vegan, too!}

My heart has been aching over my family for the last couple of months.  Things have just been so tough between my mother and sister who are consistently feuding. As a new mother, nothing could be worse than to see the relationship between my mother and sister demise as my relationship to my daughter blossoms. But what can you do? Ahem..you can cook, bake, and eat {in moderation, of course!} So allow me to share THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER! Get the Recipe next and my favorite shortcut to amazing icing!

HOT CHOCOLATE HEART CAKE RECIPE 

{Adapted from Eat, Drink, And Be Gorgeous by Esther Blum-This book is amazing!}

3 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

6 Tbsp Hot Chocolate Mix

2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Salt

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp White Vinegar

2 Tsp Vanilla

2 Cups Cold Water

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.  Pour into your favorite cake form pan. I happen to have this sweet heart shape cake pan that I picked up from a Home Goods store on sale for like $5 bucks! Yeah!

My simple and easy shortcut to icing is Pamela's Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix. It's made with natural ingredients and its wheat and gluten free, if that matters to you. If it doesn't, like me, I buy this because it tastes awesome. I mixed half the bag and had more than enough for my recipe. The icing does require some butter and has milk products. If you want to keep your cake vegan, then skip the icing.

One more note on healing the heart, a really awesome yoga class is truly the best way to get out all the stress and resurrect some hope. No matter what your stress is-family, career, relationships-finding balance is the key to not just surviving the issues, but thriving. My personal motto for 2012:

Thriving, not Surviving!

{all photos by me on my iPhone}