So sweet ...

Patrick and I had dinner last night with our good friends, Kate and Eric, and I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try a new cake recipe. I love to bake, and am such a sucker for a good dessert recipe. I had never made the cake or the icing before, but Kate and Eric are incredibly gracious, and I knew they'd forgive me if they turned out to be flops. Thankfully, though, both the cake and the icing turned out really well (if I do say so myself)! Again, I can't take credit for either of them. I found the chocolate cake recipe off a high-school friend's blog, and the icing recipe has been the go-to icing recipe in my family for years. It's what we call our "good white" icing. It's to die for!


Chocolate Cake
Recipe courtesy Nina Bucciarelli
Step I:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

STEP II:
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa

STEP III:
¾ cup Mazola Oil (you need to use Mazola Oil or it will change the flavor of the cake)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine Step I in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine Step II in a small saucepan and boil together at low heat until thick. Cool.

Add Step III (oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla) to Step I (flour, sugar, salt and soda). Mix. Add Step II (cooled cocoa mixture) and mix together. Pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. (It took about 40 minutes for my 9x13 to be completely done in the middle. Just watch it and check it with a toothpick.)

This recipe will make one 9" x 13", two 9″ rounds , or cupcakes.

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use one cup of milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, mix, and let stand. You can also use one cup of plain yogurt as a substitute.

Good White Icing
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour (heaping)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup shortening

First, mix the flour and sugar together in a 10" or 12" skillet. Then, over medium heat, stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook mixture until thickened, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and cool. While mixture is cooling (you can even put it in the fridge to cool), beat together the margarine and shortening until fluffy. Then beat in half of the cooled mixture until incorporated, and then the other half. Mix in the vanilla. This recipe will ice a 9" x 13" cake; make 1 1/2 times the recipe if icing two round cakes.

Ahem ... the treadmill is calling my name.