Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Frosting
NOTES
1. From Taste of Home.
2. Makes one 2-layer cake (6-8 servings), "plus two plain cake portions"--or double the frosting right away and cut the baked cake into halves, not quarters.
3. Self-rising flour is called for in the original recipe, or add the right amount of baking powder to all-purpose flour (see recipe).
4. The original recipe called for 2 cups of sugar; this revised recipe has just 1 cup
5. The original recipe also called for just 1/4 cup milk for the frosting but someone left a comment saying that wasn't enough.
6. The original recipe for the frosting also apparently makes enough for only half the cake. Consider doubling the amounts, cutting the cake in *half* (not quarters), and icing the entire layer cake, not just half of it.
INGREDIENTS for cake
1/4 cup baking cocoa or Dutch cocoa
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter (1 stick; 4 oz)
2 cups self-rising flour (or 2 cups plain flour + 4 tsp baking powder)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
INGREDIENTS for frosting
(Double the amounts if you don't want to store half of the cake)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
4 to 4-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
PREPARATION of cake
1. Oven to 350; rack on middle shelf. Grease a 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan (or improvise!)
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa and water until smooth.
4. Add the oil and butter, bring to a boil, stir and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
5. Gradually add cocoa mixture to flour and sugar mixture, beating until well combined.
6. Beat in buttermilk and eggs.
7. Pour into the greased pan and bake at 350° for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool on a wire rack. See instructions for assembling the cake, below.
9. Set two aside so they are ready to frost (they will make up two layers of a small cake); wrap other two quarters in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze them unfrosted until ready for eating.
(Double the amounts if you don't want to store half of the cake)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
4 to 4-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and milk.
2. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute (the mixture will appear curdled).
3. Pour into a large bowl and gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla.
4. Beat until frosting achieves desired spreading consistency--adding more milk if needed.
ASSEMBLING the cake
1. Cut the cooled cake into halves (10" x 7-1/2"). (The original recipe says to cut it into quarters and store two of the quarters, unfrosted, for another time.)
2. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.
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