Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium pot, melt butter until it begins to bubble.
Stir in sugar and heat until sugar dissolves in the butter.
Transfer butter and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater.
Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the cocoa. Beat until well blended.
Add vanilla.
Turn the mixer speed up to medium. Add eggs and beat well.
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
Add flour mixture to the chocolate and beat just until the flour is well incorporated. Don't over beat.
Stir in nuts and pour into a greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
Let cool, and top with chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
Instructions:
In microwave-safe container, heat butter until it bubbles. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. If chips don't melt completely, return to microwave and heat at 10-second intervals, stirring after heating, until smooth.
Use for icing cakes when mixture is still warm by pouring over top and allowing to drizzle down the sides.
When the mixture cools, it can be shaped into melon-ball-size rounds then rolled in cocoa or chopped nuts for homemade truffles.