Earlier this week we celebrated the 17th birthday of our youngest child. I can’t believe that he is already in his senior year of high school! He sure has grown from the tiny 7-pound bundle he was at birth to the 6’2″ lanky young man he is now!
No, he is not usually this serious! He is actually quite the fun-loving kid!
Chocolate cake is always a favorite cake for birthdays around here. This year I made it totally from scratch using recipes in my favorite Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Served with vanilla ice cream, it was a hit with everyone!
1-2/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk*
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
Butter and lightly flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread in the pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.(Layers do not rise as high as box cake mix layers do.) Cool for 5 minutes in the pans before turning out on to a cooling rack. Frost with Creamy Chocolate Frosting.
*If you do not have buttermilk, you can sour a cup of milk by adding 1 tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar to the milk. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to the cake.
Frosting:
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. boiling water
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
Combine the chocolate, sugar, and cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed pan. Stir in the boiling water and cook over moderate heat about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla, and salt. Beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth and shiny. This makes enough to fill and frost an 8-inch or 9-inch two-layer cake.
The Cookbook Experiment 