- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon each vanilla and salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Get out a big bowl. Put the softened
margarine (you can soften it in the
microwave if you like)and the sugar into a
large mixing bowl. Using electric beaters,
cream them together until they are light and
fluffy. Then add the eggs. Beat the eggs in,
all at once. Continue beating the mixture
until it is satiny smooth and emulsified.
Next add the salt, vanilla, baking soda and
cocoa. Beat again, until the cocoa is well
mixed into the batter, making it chocolaty
and fragrant. Then put the flour and the
buttermilk or sour milk into the bowl. If
you only have fresh milk, you can sour it
with a little vinegar. Probably a tablespoon
would be enough. Do it like this, put a
tablespoon of vinegar into a two cup
measure. Add enough milk to reach the two
cup line. Allow the milk to set for a few
moments, until you see it curdle. Now the
milk is ready to use.
Anyway, beat the flour and milk into the
batter with your electric beaters. Beat it
really good, for about two full minutes,
getting out all of the lumps. Turn the
batter into a well oiled 9 by 13-inch
rectangular pan, or two 9-inch round pans,
or three 8-inch round pans. Bake the cake at
350° for 50 minutes in the large pan, and 35
to 40 minutes in the smaller pans. When the
edges pull away from the sides of the pan,
and the center springs back when you touch
it gently, it is done. Remove from the oven
and allow to cool for a long time. When the
cake is all the way cool, you can frost it.
This recipe makes a very large cake. The
batter just barely fits in my 9" cake pans,
so if aren't sure if your pans will hold it
or not, then place them on a cookie sheet
the first time you bake this recipe. That
way, if any spills over, it will be easier
to clean off of the cookie sheet than the
bottom of the oven. Good cake for birthdays
and fancy layer cake creations.
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