I do not especially care for chocolate but one of my coworkers loves it and we brought snacks on Thursday for her last day before transferring to another state. I decided to try my sister’s Mocha Layer Cake recipe for the occasion. It took me about 2.5 hours because I did not really know what I was doing. To remedy that, I have written notes to myself for the next time I make this dessert.

Step 1: Mix and bake the Mocha Cake.

Step 2: Slice off the rounded tops of the layers so that they will lay flat. Taste the excess cake and think, “It tastes like chocolate cake with coffee so I suppose it is okay.” Keep going.

Step 3: Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on each layer. When they melt, spread them around.

Step 4: Put the layers in the freezer and start the Mocha Frosting. Realize that you do not have a sifter for the powdered sugar and wonder if a tea strainer ball will work. Learn that the tea strainer will adequately sift the sugar but it is much messier and takes a whole lot longer!

Step 5: Mix the Mocha Frosting. Taste the frosting and wonder, “Does this taste right? I don’t even like frosting. I have no idea.” Keep going.

Step 6: Frost the Mocha Cake. Sigh when the frosting does  not want to stick to the cake. Slather on far more frosting that you would ever want to eat on a cake, even if it was not chocolate. Remember that you intended to never make this cake again. Keep going.

Step 7: Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix with coffee. Drizzle over the cake. Think, “That looks pretty, but I now find very thought of chocolate completely nauseating after smelling it for so long.”

Step 8: Take the cake to work and delight your chocoholic coworkers who think it is delicious.

I am glad I tried this recipe and I will probably never make it again. I enjoyed the process except for the scent of chocolate, but I think that it is far too much work for a dessert that I do not even enjoy.