Mary Lou Coble's Devil's Food Cake

1-1/2 cups flour 1-1/4 cups softed sugar 1/2 cup cocoa 1-1/4 teaspoons soda 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, then measure it. Sift flour again into mixing bowl. Sift sugar, cocoa, cream of tartar, and salt into bowl. Add softened shortening (not melted) and blend. Add vanilla and half the milk. Beat 150 strokes, scraping bowl and spoon often. Add eggs one at a time, beating 100 strokes after each egg. Add remaining milk and beat 50 strokes. Pour into greased and floured layer pans; bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until cakes test done. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes. Remove pans and allow cakes to finish cooling. Frost as desired.

Notes:
This is a recipe that Mary Lou Coble of Rose, Nebraska, placed in the Jolly Neighbors Extension Club's handwritten cookbook during the early 1960's. I have expanded the directions a little because all the recipes were greatly condensed to fit on one side of a 3x5" recipe card. The Cobles lived southeast of Rose. I was in 4-H with their son, Bob (we called him Bobby.) I think they also had a younger son named Steve.