One hundred years ago, the 16th amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, enabling the federal income tax. Over the years, more and more taxpayers have paid higher and higher taxes. According to this ATR report, in 1913 358,000 taxpayers paid $16.6 billion (in today’s dollars). Today 140 million taxpayers pay $2.7 trillion in federal income taxes. And things are a lot more complicated. In 1913, the tax code was 400 pages, today it is 73,954 pages.
Someone once responded to the plight of the poor, let them eat cake. Today, in a not-so-happy celebration of 100 years of federal income tax, I suggest, we might as well eat chocolate cake. And here is one of my favorite recipes – a yummy chocolate apricot cake:
Chocolate Apricot Cake
1 15 oz. can apricot halves
1 pkg. devil’s food cake mix with pudding in the mix
3 large eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with vegetable oil.
Drain apricot halves, reserving juice. Puree halves in food processor or blender til smooth. Place all ingredients in mixing bow and blend on low speed for 30 seconds., scrape down sides and mix for another 2 minutes until well blended.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 38 to 42 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes and frost with Chocolate Frosting:
1 Cup sugar
5 Tbsp. butter
1/3 Cup milk
1 Cup chocolate chips.
Place sugar, butter and milk in saucepan over medium heat. Stir til mixture comes to a boil, boil for 1 minute til sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and stir in chips. Stir til chips are melted. Spread icing over cake.
This cake freezes well allowing you to enjoy a slice each quarter of tax filings!
