Dave Stirling's Chocolate Cake

This is a family recipe my Nana gave me and I decided to try out. Although the recipe is titled "cake" these turned out much more like brownies to me. They are quite rich and delicious, with a magical blend of cinnamon and chocolate. Ever taste something and wonder how it could be so delicious, then look at the recipe and realize why (3 sticks of butter?!) ? This is one of those recipes. So if you are looking for a low fat, low sugar dessert, this is not it. Otherwise, enjoy!

The recipe said to bake for 20 minutes. I thought that this would not be nearly enough time since the batter was so thin but mine was baked to perfection in just 22 minutes. Also, Chef Dave insisted that the sifting was key to success so I was sure to actually sift the ingredients (something I usually do not do). I was surprised how much extra flour I had before sifting. Also, he encouraged using extra vanilla and cinnamon, which I did and things turned out great.

Ingredients:
2 Cups flour 1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups sugar 1 C water
1/2 tsp salt 3 Tbs cocoa
2 sticks butter/margarine (1 C) 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 C buttermilk (I used regular milk) 1 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:
1 stick butter/margarine (1/2 C) 3 3/4 C powdered sugar (1 lb)
3 Tbs cocoa 1/2 C chopped pecans (optional)
6 Tbs milk 1 tsp vanilla


Directions:
Sift flour, measure, and sift with sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Heat butter, water, and cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then pour over the flour mixture. Mix thouroughly. Meanwhile, mix eggs, soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to the main mixture. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-22 min.

Start the icing a few minutes before the cake is done. Mix butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan. Heat slowly on low heat (do not boil). Remove from heat and add sugar, pecans (if desired), and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over warm cake.

The frosting pours on and hardens as it cools. Jeff and I each has a slice of warm cake. It was good but we actually enjoyed it better the next day, eating it cold from being stored in the refrigerator. The flavors had had time to develop and the cake had turned to a fudge like brownie texture.