Happy Accident

My lovely editor sent me roses!

Last week I did something I don't do very often. I bought store-bought cookies. I can hear you gasping. After a year of baking and testing cupcakes, there were no sweets in the house! Now you'd think that with THE DIVA FROSTS A CUPCAKE finally on bookshelves in stores, I'd have some time to relax. Not a chance. I'm finishing another diva book and the edits for MURDER, SHE BARKED are on my desk.


But along with all the work came a lovely surprise. THE DIVA FROSTS A CUPCAKE slid in at #24 on the extended New York Times Bestseller List! A big smooch and heartfelt thanks to all my readers, because you made that happen! As you might imagine, that's a pretty big deal to a writer. Everyone was asking me if I was celebrating and I kept thinking -- well, no! I have work to do!


But I admit that I felt awful when my poor mother tried those cookies and hated them right off the bat. I had to bake something. And I had reason to celebrate. And I had a hankering for coffeecake.


Now I have to admit that even as a kid, I never loaded my ice cream with lots of different toppings. I like simple flavors. So when I thought about baking this coffeecake, and I wanted chocolate inside it, I decided against nuts. It would be perfectly good with pecans or walnuts, but I left them out because I wanted some ooey gooey chocolate.


I felt obligated to cut into it to try it while it was still hot. After all, one of you may wonder if it can be served hot. Right? Yum, yum, yum. The chocolate is all melty like the chocolate chips in a hot cookie. But wait! Oh no! It's a bomb. All the chocolate melted through the lower batter to the very bottom.


Now ordinarily, I would sigh and move on to making something else. But have you ever eaten a crepe with melted chocolate inside? That's how this is. I would discard the recipe, but it tastes too good. There's the lovely warm cake part with a very nice texture and underneath is hot gooey chocolate. I imagine it being made late at night in dorms and sororities. It's that kind of recipe.


So I loosened the whole thing and flipped it onto a plate so the chocolate is on the top. Is it the prettiest coffeecake in the world? No. But I guarantee everyone will gather round and want some.  Oh! And it turns out it's great cool, too! This is just the sort of cake Sophie might make for the gang late on a cold night while they discuss murder.

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Coffeecake

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt



2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Fage 2% Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon vanilla



1/4 cup sugar

6 ounces or about 1 cup of chocolate chips (I used Callebaut)


Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 inch pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs. Add 1 cup of sugar and beat until thick. Mix in the flour mixture. Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla, beating after each addition.

Pour half the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with the sugar and then with the chocolate chips.

Spread the remaining batter over top. Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Run a thin knife around the edge immediately and allow to sit about 15 minutes. Slide a spatula underneath to loosen. Place a plate upside down on top and flip.

Can you see the melted chocolate?

I'm looking for a Christmas title for the next Domestic Diva Mystery. If you are the first to suggest the title that is chosen, I'll send you a copy of Murder, She Barked when it's released!

Here are the rules:
1. It must begin with THE DIVA
2. It should have a Christmas theme
3. We love puns.

I hope you'll offer your suggestions in the comments!
Thanks!