Permission to Indulge

Chocolate Cake

1½ cups flour

1½ cups castor sugar

Pinch of salt

3 tbsp cocoa

3 tsp baking powder
(slightly heaped)

¾ cup oil

¾ cup boiling water

4 extra-large eggs or 5 large eggs separated
(don’t skip this — it makes all the difference)

Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 350°F if you’re elsewhere in the world)

Line and grease your cake tins properly.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, castor sugar, salt, cocoa, and 2 tsp of the baking powder.

Add the oil and boiling water. It will look very runny — that’s correct.

Separate your eggs. Beat the yolks and stir them into the mixture.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with the remaining 1 tsp baking powder.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Take your time here — this step matters.

Pour into your prepared tins and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool. Frost if you want to. It doesn’t need much.

Slice. Share. Or don’t. It’s up to you.

This is your permission to indulge — a small reward for noticing what most people skip past.