Lyons Family Cookbook

Wickedly Delicious Chocolate Cake

--- CAKE ---

1 3/4

cup

flour

2

cup

sugar

3/4

cup

unsweetened cocoa powder

2

tsp

baking soda

1

tsp

baking powder

1

tsp

salt

2

eggs

1

cup

strong black coffee: 2 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 cup boiling water, then cooled

1

cup

buttermilk

1/2

cup

melted butter

1

tsp

vanilla extract

--- DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING ---

4

squares

(1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate

1/2

cup

(1 stick) butter

1/2

cup

evaporated (not condensed) milk

1

tsp

vanilla extract

1

box

(16 oz) confectioners sugar

.

.

.

.

1

CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Batter will be quite thin.

2

Divide batter between 2 well-greased and floured 9" layer-cake pans.

3

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean and cakes are just starting to pull away from sides of the pans.

4

Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks.

5

FROSTING: Melt chocolate and butter together in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove double boiler and set aside to cool.

6

Add milk and vanilla to confectioners sugar in a medium bowl. Mixture will be thin. Stir in melted chocolate and butter, and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens to a spreading consistency. Fill and frost cake, making long swirls with an icing spatula.

7

GARNISH CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY FANS: Place firm, ripe berries with stem down on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, make cuts 1/8" apart through the strawberry to within 1/8" of the stem. With your fingers, gently spread apart the slices to form a fan. It it's available, fresh mint can add further appeal. After carefully removing the strawberry leaves with the knife point, replace them with a sprig of mint.

8

Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if you like. Yield: One 9" layer cake.

This moist, rich cake may be the best you've ever eaten --- a chocolate-lover's little piece of heaven. Because it is so moist, it is not always easy to remove from the cake pan, so be sure to grease and flour the pans thoroughly. Lining the bottom of the pans with parchment paper also helps.

Source

Source: Parents Magazine - February 1987 Comfort Food Issue