In being completely transparent with you all, I’m not a big fan of desserts. Feel free to stop laughing. Don’t get me wrong, I like the taste testing at the end of the meal but rarely will I sit and eat a whole dessert that is put in front of me. I usually put my full tilt effort into the dinner portion of the meal. A smattering of uneaten desserts are usually left on the table.

On the other hand, I’ve seen my lady friends eat two bites of dinner and woof down a seven-layer chocolate eruption that stands twenty to thirty feet in the air! Unbelievable!

With that said friends insisted that I include lots of desserts in my cookbook. So I have no choice. I have to include lots of desserts because I really don’t want to have to face a woman who’s been denied her chocolate fix.

Thanks to Pam Rivera from Egg Harbor Township who gave this recipe to me for what she says “is by far the moistest chocolate cake” she’s ever tasted. Pam says that she believes the recipe was passed down from her mom‘s sister who had a knack for making food taste more palatable.

Thanks, Pam, for the recipe and thanks for feeding the chocolate desire of my lady friends out there.

You'll need:

2 cup flour
2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking power
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup warm coffee (not instant)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

How to put it together:

Combine ingredients in order listed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Bake and check after 40 minutes in the center. It's done when you can poke a toothpick in and it comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with your favorite frosting or use Melissa Stephens' chocolate icing below. Enjoy

Melissa's Favorite Chocolate Icing:

6 tablespoons butter softened
1/3 cup cocoa
2 2/3 cup unsifted confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat softened butter in a small bowl with mixer. Add cocoa and confectioner's sugar in small batches alternating with some milk until everything is incorporated. Add the vanilla at the end and mix until combined. If too thick add a little more milk until perfect.

One of the Top 50 Candy stores in the US is right here in Jersey

Black River Candy Shoppe in Chester New Jersey was selected in Food Network Magazine's “America’s 50 Best Candy Stores” a couple of years back and the story went viral online earlier this year.

I decided to take a trip down there for myself to see what they had to offer. Right, when you walk in you feel like you are Charlie about to take over the chocolate factory. Black River Candy Shoppe is a cute little candy shop offering hundreds of different types of candy.

They have old-school childhood candy as well as an incredible selection of newer candy varieties. Candy is displayed in old whiskey barrels, and a lot of their candy is sold in bulk by the pound. It is located in downtown Chester right off of Main Street. Check out the photos from my recent visit:

The 6 best ice cream places in NJ

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM