RICH AND MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

RICH AND MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Cookbooks and magazines are loaded with chocolate cake recipes that are touted as being “The Ultimate.” They disappear after a few months, only to be replaced with something new.

This chocolate cake recipe was given to my Mother in 1938. We still use it. Yes, it’s just that good! And it comes with the recommendation that this is what “sealed the deal” when my Dad proposed to her.

It can be baked in a flat 9 inch by 13 inch pan. Or large or small round pans – – – or cupcakes. Made into layers and stacked high. Or you can use a bundt pan, if you still happen to have one. (Many people don’t even remember what they are.)

It can be adorned with swirls of chocolate icing, powdered sugar frosting, or just served plain with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cocoa over the top. However you choose to serve it, it is moist and sinfully rich.

THE INGREDIENTS

2 cups sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar

8 level tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour (more or less)

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THE METHOD

Beat sour cream, eggs, and vanilla together. Sift flour and cocoa. Add sugar, soda, and salt and sift all together. Add to the wet ingredients and beat well. Bake in greased 9 inch by 13 inch pan for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until done. (Watch it carefully! The baking time and the temperature might vary depending on your oven and the type and size of pan you are using.)

Let the cake cool thoroughly before frosting.

NOTE:  If you like a cake that has a deeper chocolate flavor, just add more cocoa. If you like an even more moist, dense cake, add an extra egg or two. Back in the 1800s, it was not uncommon for ladies to add ten or twelve eggs to a single cake.

CHOCOLATE ICING

1 stick butter

4 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons milk

16 ounces powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup walnuts or coconut (Optional)

Combine butter, cocoa, and milk. Bring to a boil. Take off the fire and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Add nuts or coconut last. You can pour it on a cake while it is still hot if you are using a 9 inch by 13 inch cake pan. If you are making a layer cake, you need to cool it first. For a layer cake, you’ll probably have to make more than one batch of the icing, depending on how thick you plan to spread it.

POWDERED SUGAR FROSTING

For those of you who prefer your chocolate cake with a “white” frosting, this is a recipe that everyone seems to like. For a layer cake, you might have to make more than one batch, all depending on just how tall you plan to make it. It is sometimes fun to have the layers filled with Powdered Sugar Frosting, and the cake iced with the Chocolate Icing.

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup soft butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 or 2 tablespoons milk

Beat together until smooth.

If you prefer a CHOCOLATE POWDERED SUGAR FROSTING, just blend in 2 tablespoons cocoa.

HAPPY BAKING!  Susan

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