Chocolate Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. 2
   Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with oil or cooking spray.
3. 3
   Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
4. 4
   Make a well, or funnel-shaped indentation, in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water.
5. 5
   Stir until smooth.
6. 6
   Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the pecans.
7. 7
   Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. 8
   The Aztecs first prepared a hot chocolate drink for a European in 1519.
9. 9
   It was then introduced to the Spanish court in 1528, and it gradually spread through Europe.
10. 10
    However, chocolate wasnt prepared for eating until 1765, when it was made at Milton Lower Mills, near present-day Dorchester, Massachusetts.