Semi Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. CAKE: Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix & sugar. Add buttermilk and mix well. Add oil and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat for 2 minutes with electric mixer.
• 2. Pour into 3 greased and floured round cake pans. Bake on 350 for approximately 18-20 minutes or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cloth and cool completely. Once completely cooled, cut each layer into half by using a bread knife or dental floss. Ice cake while icing is still warm. *If you prefer you can spoon 4 to 5 tablespoons of batter into cake pans and bake approximately 8 minutes or until they start to brown around edges. Keep repeating until batter is used up. If I want those very thin layers I just make my Opel's Chocolate Stack Cake, which is posted.
• 3. ICING: Do not make icing until layers are cooled. In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine sugar & cocoa. Add milk, stir and then add butter. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then boil for an additional seven minutes. Turn off heat and add vanilla. Stir for one minute...icing will be thin but will harden later. Generously ice between cooled layers and top of cake. Icing will drip down sides, which will ice the sides. Keep spooning icing on top of cake as it puddles in bottom of cake plate. The icing will be thin then it'll get to the gooey stage while spooning on top but will harden later. Leave cake alone until icing hardens.
• 4. Note: I use a skewer or an ice pick to punch a few holes in cake as I'm icing it so that some of the icing can seep down into the layers.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-3-inch cake pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Sift together flour and baking powder. With the mixer set on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour; scrape down sides twice.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites with pinch of salt on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in a large spoonful of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Fold the lightened batter into the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Remove the pans to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack to cool completely.
• If cakes are not level, use a serrated knife to trim tops off. Carefully slice each cake horizontally into three equal layers, about 3/4 inch thick. (You will have six layers.) To assemble, place one sliced layer on an 8-inch cardboard cake round. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat with remaining layers, placing the final layer bottom side up. Cover cake with remaining frosting. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of butter. Stir in 1 cup water and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the cocoa buttermilk mixture. Stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Ice the cake with Buttermilk Pecan Icing while it's still warm.
• For the icing: In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter with 4 tablespoons cocoa. Stir in 1/3 cup buttermilk, and heat until almost boiling. Stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt and pecans. Remove from heat. Mix well and pour over warm cake.