RECIPE: Dark Chocolate Cake

19 years ago

This is a very deep, dark chocolate cake with a moist , dense crumb . Goes together fast .

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Heirlooms , Traditional & Ethnic

Cream together well --( at least five minutes or so )

3/4 c. lard or butter

2 large fresh eggs

2 c. sugar

1 spoonful real vanilla

Sift 2 c. flour then stir flour together with:

1 c. good dark cocoa

1 spoonful salt

1 spoonful baking powder

Stir this flour mixture into creamed ingred-- mix well 'til smooth & no fat shows

In lrg bowl place 2 spoonfuls of baking soda & pour 2 c. boiling water over-

stir once to dissolve b. soda & immediately pour over other ingred. Mix well .

Pour into greased & floured cake pans or a large 9 x 13 or so dish ..

Oven 375 or so-- bake 20- 30 minutes depending on size of pans .

.
** My notes: this recipe is from my paternal Grandmother-- she seldom

actually measured anything & if she did she used a regular coffee/

tableware spoon and a ceramic coffee cup . Her flour bin was in an

upper cupboard & had a funneled sifter thing on the bottom so her flour

was always sifted as she used it .

I always get a smile & fond memory of Gram when I make this cake-- I

can just hear her telling my Mom how to make it & Mom writing it down .

( specially the bit about fresh eggs ) . I 've always used Fleischman's

original margarine in this recipe ( tho Mom used lard that we had

rendered ourselves -- in the oven in big roaster & Darn the house

smelled for days afterward ) -- and any cocoa works . My "spoonful" is

a measured tsp and it's always come out great -- tho I don't always

sift the flour & I'm not sure how "fresh " my eggs are :) -- certainly

not as fresh as Gram's who kept chickens . I've used both AP & cake

flour -- doesn't seem to make a difference . I only do 1/2 a recipe &

bake in a 8 x 8 pan . I use cocoa to "flour" my pan .

Also this is a VERY runny batter -- don't be fooled into thinking you

measured wrong or that it needs more flour .

Exported from Home Cookin 5.1 (www.mountain-software.com)

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Comments (8)

Carol Schmertzler Siegel
19 years ago
I definitely need a piece of that cake, Diane, with a big, ice cold glass of milk! Looks great! What kind of frosting is that?

Carol
pat_t
19 years ago
Yep, I saw the pic of this over on the WFD thread and was about to ask for the recipe, when I saw that you had posted it on the Dessert Exchange.

I, too, would like the recipe for that Peanut Butter frosting. It looks too wonderful!
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craftyrn
Original Author
19 years ago
Oh boy-- I'm in trouble here-- I never measure when I'm making this kind of icing . It's basically a butter cream but I use about 1/3 butter( maybe 1 tbsp) - 2/3( maybe 2 heaping tbsp) peanut butter-- ( either Smucker's Natural or some kind of an organic one-- just peanuts & salt-- the kind you buy with oil separated out & you have to stir up )-- cream those together-add about 1/2 tsp vanilla and start with 2 c confectioners sugar & couple tbsp hot water-- beat up and add more sugar- more peanut butter - more hot water 'til it gets to the consistancy & taste I want. I've never tried it with a pb like Jiffy or PP -- their consistancy is different .
Carol Schmertzler Siegel
19 years ago
thanks, Diane. Chocolate and peanut butter. Right up my alley!
jane__ny
19 years ago
Did anyone ever try Dunkun Heinz Chocolate Peanutbutter Cake? It's one of their speciality cakes. It's really good. My daughter brought the mix to me and it's been sitting here for months and I made it tonight. Husband said it was the best chocolate cake he'd ever eaten.
Really made me feel good after all the years of making chocolate cakes from scratch....but it was good. Not like the usual box cake taste.

Jane
jenn
19 years ago
Jane - DH is a very good cake mix. I will look for that DH Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, it sounds yummy!

Jen
Terrapots
19 years ago
That dark chocolate cake sound like I just have to make it. I love choc cake, DH hates anything chocolate. Guess how many chocolate cakes I eaten almost by myself? Definitely going to make this, better start walking real soon, again.
trudymom
19 years ago
craftyrn, oh, this sounds like just what I'd like to make for Chrismtas day!! Does a spoonful mean 1 teaspoon?

Thank you!