I have a deep and abiding love for Laurie Colwin. I like her novels alright, but I love her two volumes of essays about food and cooking. I read and reread them each a couple of times a year, although for the last year or so I haven't been able to dive into More Home Cooking because I lent my copy to my mom. However, when I was back in Portland for the holidays, I reclaimed my copy and quickly fell back into her appealing prose and tasty food descriptions.

While it isn't exactly a cookbook, it is a book that contain many wonderful, delicious sounding recipes. This volume contains recipes for Mulligatawny Soup, Rosemary Walnuts, instructions on how to roast a turkey, a section exalting the beauty of pears and a Happy Winter Fudge Cake (I think that just about any fudge cake has the power to make many winters far more happy).

I haven't been doing this with every Cookbook of the Day post, but after the jump you'll find the recipe for the Happy Winter Fudge Cake (because it just sounds so good). Happy Winter Fudge Cake
from Laurie Colwin's More Home Cooking

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 1/2 by 3 inch spring form pan fitted with a tube bottom (I have never actually encountered a springform pan with a tube bottom and so believe that a conventional springform would do).

2. Melt 3 squares semisweet chocolate in a heavey saucepan over low heat and let the chocolate cool.

3. In a bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon each baking powder and bakings soda.

4. In another bowl with a mixter mix 2 eggs 4 tablespoons softened butter, cut in little pieces, 1 teaspoon vanill, and 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt and then beat in the melted chocolate.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and add 1 cup chocolate morsels, large or small.

6. Turn the batter in to the pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. The cake will pull away slightly from the side of the pan. Let the cake cool fr 30 minutes, remove the side of the pan, and invert the cake onto a plate, removing the bottom of the pan.