Celebrate CBC Information Morning's 50th birthday with cake for breakfast

CBC's Information Morning is celebrating its 50th birthday on-air this Friday, June 26.

While we can't all cram in the studio together, we can all eat cake for breakfast from the comfort of our homes.

MasterChef Canada winner Jennifer Crawford, came up with a special recipe just for us!

It's a delicious salted chocolate cake with dulse sprinkles.

The Nova Scotian has been cooking non-stop their whole life, especially since getting sober in 2018 and subsequently winning MasterChef Canada last year.

They're a writer, chef, aspiring pro wrestler and a moon mist enthusiast. In their My Queer Kitchen online show and column with Xtra Magazine, they focus on the intersections of food, feelings, identity and courage.

Chocolate cake ingredients

• 1¼ cups of all-purpose flour.
• ½ cup of rye flour (optional — feel free to substitute for all-purpose flour, the rye just brings out an extra layer of flavour with the chocolate).
• 1 cup of cocoa powder, plus 1 tablespoon for pan.
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
• ¼ teaspoon of salt.
• ½ cup of vegetable oil.
• 1¾ cups of white sugar.
• 3 large eggs.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• ¼ teaspoon of instant coffee (optional).
• 1 cup of milk (ideally whole).

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with olive oil, and dust with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to cover. Using cocoa instead of flour ensures there won't be a cloudy white film over the edges.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt (and optional instant coffee).
4. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Then beat in the milk for an additional 30 seconds.
5. Adding ⅓ of dry ingredients at a time, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for cake soak

• ¼ cup of whole milk.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Instructions

1. Put vanilla and milk into a squeeze bottle, and give it a good shake to mix it.
2. Using a fork, poke holes across the top of the cooled cake.
3. With the squeeze bottle, evenly distribute the cake soak across the surface of the cake — especially the edges — letting it sink in as you go. This will ensure an extra-moist and delicious cake! Feel free to experiment by adding seasoning to milk. You could add hot cocoa powder, malt powder, whatever you desire!

Chocolate ganache icing ingredients

• 2 cups of dark or semi-sweet chocolate.
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.
• 1 teaspoon of fine salt.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• ½ teaspoon of dulse flakes (optional).
• Flaky salt for finishing, if desired.

Instructions

1. Put your icing ingredients into a heat-proof bowl.
2. Heat cream in a saucepan until steam starts to rise from the surface. There's no need to bring it to a boil. Just wait until there's steam and maybe a few bubbles breaking the surface.
3. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, and push the chocolate down so that it's submerged in the cream. Let sit for five minutes.
4. Add salt and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. If any lumps remain, put the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds and whisk again.
5. If you have an immersion blender, feel free to use instead of whisking for an exceptionally creamy ganache.
6. Let cool at room temperature until it's reached the consistency of peanut butter, around an hour.
7. Fit a piping bag with a star tip. Fill the bag with the ganache and pipe stars to cover the entire surface of the cake.
8. Finish with a sprinkle of dulse flakes (or regular sprinkles, if you prefer) and flaky salt.

Enjoy!