How to make the best crazy cake

Crazy cake is always going to be easy to make. That's its nature, but there are a few ways to ensure it's spectacular.

1. Mix the batter in a bowl, not in the cake pan.

Here's where I depart from the classic preparation a bit. The original recipe directs you to combine the ingredients in the cake pan and stir. I have a few problems with this. First, it's messy. Mixing together a cake batter in a cake pan takes more work than it's worth. Second, the cake sticks to the pan.

To solve these two problems, mix the batter in a bowl. Yes, it dirties an extra bowl, but it's worth it. And mix the batter with a whisk or fork; there's really no need to use an electric mixer. However, if that's more comfortable for you, go for it.

2. Use the best cocoa powder.

There's only 1/4 cup of cocoa powder -- Dutch or natural, both work -- in the recipe. To make sure the cake has a nice chocolate kick, use a high-quality cocoa powder.

Pro tip: An easy way to tell the quality of a cocoa powder is by checking the fat content listed in the nutritional label. The higher the fat, the better the flavor. You want at least one gram of fat for each five-gram serving.

3. Coffee will make the chocolate more intense.

In baked goods, coffee has the magical ability to make chocolate taste more intense. For this recipe, use a cup of cooled coffee. If you don't want to use coffee, use milk (dairy-free milk is fine). The original recipe for crazy cake uses water, not coffee or milk, but water leads to a flat-tasting cake.

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