Me and Mary Ann: my favorite 'chocolate' cake

For years, I watched Mary Ann Esposito on television. I LOVE her. I just LOVE her. The first time I introduced her show to Guy he said, prophetically "She reminds me of YOU." I was stunned, because the man was right. We DO cook very much the same way. And - get this - her husband's name is Guy. When I finally got to meet her, face to face, we howled over that story. We chatted in Italian, and she invited me up to the podium of her cooking demo, to make breadsticks with her. I floated on a cloud all the way home. Later, Guy and I took a cooking class with her - YEARS later. She remembered us. I hope to see her again sometime. She's real people, the way many cooks are. With an understanding of having to cook under pressure, sometimes without ingredients you might want, and always on a budget.

My favorite one of her books is "Nella Cucina," and this recipe comes from there. The cake was a standard for Guy, when he was the "Betty Crocker" of his chorus, and ran the bakesale. Now that he is alternating with members of a team, I'm going to pass the recipe on.

When we make this cake, we double it and make two. It's another cake where you have to cut it in the pan. Usually. There's a lot of orange juice in it, and when fruit juice cooks, it gets very sticky. Keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that, when you choose your ricotta, pick a GOOD one. Don't buy the ghastly supermarket stuff. Find a good Italian latticini freschi, or a good farmers market purveyor. It WILL make the difference. If you're 24, with the metabolism of a hamster, use the mascarpone option. It makes a richer cake. But mascarpone is more expensive. And if you're doing this for a bake sale, save some money.

For each, 8 inch cake, you need 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar and a teaspoon of baking soda. Also half a teaspoon of salt. Put these together, and stir them

Melt one stick of unsalted butter. Then add half a cup of strong espresso. I make it by dissolving twice the recommended amount of instant espresso into boiling water. You could use coffee, too, if you have it and not espresso powder. You also need to squeeze some orange juice. Half a cup. That's two, maybe three oranges. You don't need surgical precision here. If you have too much, dont worry. If you have too little, don't worry. Just stir everything together, and add a quarter cup of cocoa. Again, stay away from supermarket stuff - you know, the "quick " stuff. Get a good, unsweetened cocoa. Watch how dark everything gets in the pan. Add all of this to the flour mixture and stir it up. Finally , beat in half a cup of either ricotta, or mascarpone that you've left at room temperature, and two eggs. If you want, add some almond extract. In my opinion, it takes away from the orange flavor.

Pour this into a well greased - REALLY well greased 8 inch pan, and bake it in a 350 degree, preheated oven, for at least 45 minutes. I say "at least," because in about 2 of 3 times, 45 minutes hasn't been enough time. If it's soft and soupy in the center, let it cook for another fifteen minutes.

This is a wonderful cake, just to have around. The orange is subtle, but it's there. The cheese adds richness, and the cocoa , mixed with all of those fats, "blossoms" and tastes like a rich chocolate bar.

I think if you try this., it may become your "house" chocolate cake. Everyone needs one of those.