Helen Hudson Whiting’s Celestial Chocolate Cake

This recipe comes from a jewel of a book called In Helen’s Kitchen: A Philosophy of Food. Published in memory of Helen Hudson Whiting by her friends at the Regulator Bookstore in Durham, North Carolina, in 2000, the book includes many of her eloquent and witty food columns and recipes, written for area publications through the 1970s and ‘80s. It also contains an abundance of keepsake recipes shared by Helen’s family and friends. This cake, a family fa