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A refreshing and delicious piece of news was printed in my morning paper last week. Not the usual grim, sobering report we all too often read these days. This story was about chocolate, which is one of my favorite things to eat and think about. And this report was beautifully timed for Valentine's Day. Did you know:

• Cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and three times those in green tea.


• Cocoa powder has higher concentrations of the anti-aging antioxidants than those found in blueberries and green tea.


• Chocolate's antioxidants are easily metabolized, which means the body can readily use them.


• Chocolate may ward off the signs of aging

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As a special thank you to our newsletter readers, we will be sharing some special recipes from our Cake Mix Doctor Community Board Moderators over the next few issues of "A Piece of Cake." This month we share Mary K. Bush's deeply chocolate cake. If anyone could make chocolate cake more chocolatey, it's Mary K! She also collects specialty Bundt pans, which would make the presentation of this cake even more special. With whatever pan you choose, this cake will be a winner. So happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Workman Publishing. We hope you enjoy baking for friends and family, and maybe, just maybe, having a little sample of this cake for yourself.

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Mary K. enjoys baking this cake with her granddaughter. "This cake and glaze recipe is submitted in honor of Katie, my only granddaughter, who except for the chips and the glaze is largely responsible for the creation of this, her first cake, baked at age 11 with supervision." Bravo, Katie!

Forever Chocolate Bundt Cake

Makes 12 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 60 to 65 minutes

Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
All-purpose flour for dusting the pan
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain chocolate fudge cake mix
1 large package (5.9 ounces) chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Forever Chocolate Glaze:

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour, and set the pan aside.

2. Place the buttermilk, soft butter, vanilla, eggs, coffee granules, cake mix, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 to 45 seconds, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat long enough for the batter to be smooth. 1 minute for powerful stand mixers and up to 2 minutes for hand mixers. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until the middle springs back when lightly pressed with your fingers, 60 to 65 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen it and invert it onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Place a clean dish towel over the top of the cake to prevent the cake from drying out while it finishes cooling. To finish the cake, you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar, or drizzle the cake with the chocolate glaze.

4. For the glaze, place the butter in a medium pan over low heat, and when melted, stir in the coffee granules, milk, sugar, and cocoa. Stir and bring to a boil, then let the mixture boil constantly, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool a bit by placing the pan in a sink with an inch of ice water, then beat the glaze with the wooden spoon until it thickens slightly. Drizzle it over the cake with the spoon.

French Cream Frosting

Sally Munson of Wichita, KS, writes that she has always known the Red Velvet Cake as the Waldorf Astoria Cake. (See the [Cake Mix Doctor] for the history behind this famous cake.) And she has always placed a cooked "French cream" frosting on it. Sally graciously shared her frosting recipe.

1 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter-flavored vegetable shortening
1 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place the milk and flour in a small saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat until thickened and smooth. Cover with waxed paper and let cool completely.

2. In a large mixing bowl, place the shortening, margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

3. Add the milk and flour mixture to the bowl and continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.

Note: This is just enough for a two-layer cake. Double for a three-layer cake if you like a generous amount of frosting.

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Thanks to all of you responding to recipe requests from fellow readers. We have located Queen's Cake and Williamsburg Orange Cake and they will be tested and shared in April. Thanks for all your recipe sleuthing!

As for Jane's Low-Fat Chocolate Cake, the one with pumpkin I shared last month, here are other low-fat cake ideas from readers:

• Jean Rosenberger of Pittsburgh, PA, says to combine 1 box of chocolate cake mix and a can of Diet Pepsi. "Yup, that's it!" She says it works in a sheet, layers, or in cupcakes.


• And what should come not far behind, a cake with a soda from the other camp. Chana Johnson shares a similar recipe, but with Diet Coke. Her suggested Weight Watcher variations? Butter pecan cake mix and diet root beer, and yellow cake mix with diet orange soda.


• Johnetta Hebrlee of Holcomb, KS, writes that she uses a spice cake mix with the can of pumpkin and half cup of water, then bakes the batter in a Bundt pan. She tops it with a low-fat cream cheese frosting.


• Mary S. says that instead of pumpkin she uses applesauce and adds a little cinnamon.


• Harole Ann Harper writes that her favorite low-calorie cake recipe contains just a box of white cake mix and a can of Diet Sprite. She suggests fat-free strawberry whipped topping on top.

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Susan Houston, food editor of The Raleigh News & Observer, in Raleigh, NC, suggests a Valentine cupcake bouquet for the one you love. Just like the cupcake bouquet photographed in the [Cupcake] book, Susan suggested you bake just pink cupcakes, then surround those on the bouquet with red, pink and white flowers. Great idea, Susan! And for that hot tip, I hope you receive a dozen roses or cupcakes from the one you love.

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Another moderator recipe, great Easter cake ideas, plus recipes lost and found.