Believe it or not, May is here and Mother’s Day is fast approaching.

Many families have found themselves cooking more together recently, baking more together lately and gathering around the table for meals quite often in the evenings.

What better way to celebrate Mom’s special day than making her a nice easy meal.

After your dinner for Mom that consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made by the little kids in the house, a yummy grilled cheese, a roast with potatoes or seared scallops, follow that Mother’s Day meal with my decadent chocolate cake that you all made together in your own kitchen.

Who doesn’t love a great classic dessert like a slice of a rich chocolate cake?

This chocolate Bundt cake is easy, from start to garnish.

The whole family will love a slice of cake served with a side of fresh whipped cream and berries, ganache or a house-favorite ice cream. You can completely customize it.

Old-Fashioned Mother’s Day Chocolate Bundt Cake

2½ cups of all-purpose flour

1¼ cups of cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of kosher salt

1½ teaspoons of baking powder

1½ teaspoons of baking soda

2¼ cups of sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1½ cups of buttermilk

1 cup of hot water

8 ounces of a seed oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In your stand-up mixer, sift and combine all your dry ingredients. In a separate large enough bowl, mix all your wet ingredients together. On low speed, add all of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl down to incorporate all ingredients well. Mix again now on medium speed to combine all. Stopping mixer, scrape the bowl down again. While mixer is running again, slowly pour in your water still on medium high speed. Scrape bowl again and mix one more time to combine all again.

Pour batter into a buttered and cocoa-powdered medium-sized Bundt pan. Set the pan onto a sheet pan for easy rotating in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Rotate your pan halfway through the baking time. Test the cake to see that a few moist crumbs are attached to your testing pick. Set aside in the pan to cool for 15 minutes before you remove the cake from the pan.

Set on cooling rack. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and store in your cake box until serving. Enjoy.

Optional Glaze Recipe

4 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 ounces of heavy cream

In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat your cream until just before simmering so that it is steaming.

Pour over your chopped chocolate. Let set for a moment or two. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over your cake.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.