THIS RECIPE is from Roy Finamore’s excellent book One Potato, Two Potato. The cake is unconventional because the batter includes potato, which makes it moist and earthy. It is best if made a day ahead of time. For Fourth of July, you can make this a flag cake in a 9×13 sheet pan and top it with vanilla or boiled icing. Make red stripes with food coloring applied to a small amount of icing and use blueberries for stars. My mother always made a flag cake on July Fourth. 

When my husband was a child he misheard the name of the holiday. He thought July Fourth was “July Force.” That makes sense in a way. The day has all the force of July.

Farmhouse Chocolate Cake
Makes one 10-inch tube cake

3/4 pound all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Coarse salt
Cocoa powder for dusting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water by at least an inch, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain well, put the potatoes through a ricer, and measure out 1 cup.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 10-inch tube pan and dust it generously with cocoa.

Put the chocolate and honey in a small bowl. Pour in the boiling water and leave the chocolate to melt and cool, stirring occasionally until it’s very smooth.

Sift the flour, baking soda, a pinch of salt, and the pepper together.

Cut the butter into chunks and put it in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light. Add the vegetable shortening and beat until combined and light. Gradually pour in the sugar and beat until this mixture is very light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one by one, beating for at least a minute after each addition. Beat in the chocolate, then the potatoes, then add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternately with 1/2 cup cold water, stirring just until combined and smooth.

Scrape the batter into the pan. Shake the pan and rap it lightly on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake until the cake tests done (a skewer will come out clean), about 50 minutes or so. Then turn out the cake, flip it right side up and leave it on a rack to cool completely.

If you want, dust the cake generously with confectioners’ sugar right before serving.

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