My Dear Professor's Birthday Cake

My Dear Professor's favorite cake is called Cake in the Pan. Don't ask me where the name came from. All I know is that a certain new bride accepted the "from scratch" recipe almost as solemnly as she uttered her wedding vows. It took me at least 10 years to master the secret of the icing--I think I copied the amount of milk down wrong!



It is a very rich combination of chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing. The secret to its gooey deliciousness is to pour the topping over the warm cake just before the fudge begins to harden.



Here's the recipe:

MeMom's Cake in a Pan

Cake
2 1/2 c sugar
1 c shortening
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
1 c buttermilk
1 c boiling water.

Cream shortening with sugar, salt, eggs, soda. Add
cocoa. Add remaing ingredients, mixing in boling water
last. Pour into 9x13 inch pan and bake at 325*F for 45
minutes to an hour. (test by sticking a toothpick in the
middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done.)

Icing
1/4 c cocoa
2 c sugar
2/3 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/4 tsp salt
tsp butter flavored vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add sugar.
cocoa, salt. Add milk (I have used 1/4c to 1/3c
buttermilk or evaporated milk) Bring to a boil, stirring
constantly. Boil gently 2 minutes, or until it begins to
thicken. Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla.
Pour over warm cake.




I have used olive oil as the shortening, but if you want the full heart stopping, artery clogging effect, use butter instead. Need I even say there is no substitute for butter in the icing?

The ultimate flourish, of course, would be a dollop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream on the side, but that will have to wait until we're down in Texas next summer.



Happy Birthday, Darlin'.