Nana's Chocolate Cake

[jmc_bks]

Posted for KateR.

Nana's Chocolate Cake

Cake:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1 1/2 squares baker's unsweetened chocolate
1 cup water
1/2 cup sour milk*

Melt ingredients together.

Sift together the following, then add to melted ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon**

Stir in:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Pour all into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

For icing:

Melt together the following:
1 1/2 squares of baker's unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter
6 Tbsp milk

Add 1 box 10X sugar, stir until smooth. Pour onto cake while hot.

*I use 1 tsp vinegar in milk to make it curdle. My aunt uses actual sour milk.
**I tend to use extra cinnamon, sometimes doubling the amount.

By itself, the cake is pretty light and the chocolate is balanced by the cinnamon and vanilla. The heavy chocolate taste comes from the icing. If you don't like the icing, the cake is pretty good with powdered sugar and cocoa sprinkled on top, too. Best served in the cake pan...otherwise the icing runs all over the place. I serve it warm in fairly small squares with vanilla ice cream.

Last time I made the cake, the icing was lumpy but I'm not sure why. Maybe the humidity? No one really cared, though. Looked a little funky, tasted just fine.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Looks interesting, especially the cinnamon. I always have a hard time getting my head around the idea of Crisco . . . but on the other hand, it is essential for lemon bars.

When I post my chocolate cake recipe (my STOLEN recipe), I'll link back to this one.

Doug

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Doug, I use the yellow Crisco that looks like a stick of butter. Otherwise, I'm disgusted by the thought of Crisco in my cake.

thanks

[kateroth.livejournal.com]

oo Thank you jmc. . .that looks yummy. Crisco really is a good stuff. I make a pineapple upsidedown cake using crisco and it's wonderful--some good things came out of the 50s after all!

Re: thanks

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!