Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

My daughter Cecily called and said; Mom, I can’t find the buttermilk chocolate cake recipe on your blog.  I said; you are absolutely correct.  I haven’t put it up yet.

Whenever one of my children request a recipe. I feel the need to get it posted a.s.a.p.  Truth is, if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have started this blog in the first place.

I never truly know what recipe they want until I get the request.  I just checked and discovered that I presently have 283 recipes on this blog and I have been blogging for 3 years.  That's almost 100 recipes a year.  Yet, I still don't have all of the kids favorites posted yet.  I wonder if I ever will...

It seems like there are a lot of recipes that fall in to that category.  They get made - but are not documented.  So many recipes - so little time.

My friend Bonnie shared this recipe with me years ago and it’s one of my family’s favorites.  I made it a lot when the kids were growing up, but now that they have grown and moved out. I don't make it very often.  Well, it was time to dust off the recipe and whip up a buttermilk chocolate cake.

Even though this cake is delicious when it’s fresh – it’s better after it's chilled and at its optimum - eaten straight out of the freezer, at least that’s what my family thinks.

When I make this cake I always take the leftovers, cut them into individual squares and freeze them in a zip lock bag.  I do this with bars and cheesecake too.  That way there is always a variety of fresh baked goodies to choose from.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE

CAKE

1 cup butter -- 2 cubes

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Spray pan coating on a 9 X 13 baking pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Place butter, cocoa and water in a small pot and bring to a gentle boil over med-low heat.
2. Put flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir to mix; set aside.
3. Mix eggs, vanilla and buttermilk in a small bowl; set aside.
4. When the cocoa mixture comes to a boil; add egg mixture to the flour and pour hot cocoa mixture over the eggs; mix well with a wire whisk.
5. Pour into a 9 X 13 pan and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 – 25 min. or until cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool for 30 minutes then frost.

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter - 1 cube

2 Tablespoons cocoa

3 Tablespoons buttermilk

16 oz. box powdered sugar – 1 box

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Place butter, cocoa and buttermilk in a small pot and bring to a gentle boil over med-low heat.
2. When the cocoa mixture comes to a boil; pour over powdered sugar; add vanilla and mix vigorously with a wire whisk till smooth.  Pour over cake and spread to even out.

*** you can add another Tablespoon of buttermilk when mixing if the frosting is too thick, but don't add too much or it will go in the other direction and take a while to firm up.

This frosting hardens up really quick!  Work FAST once you add the hot cocoa mixture to the sugar, as well as, when spreading over the cake.