Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

2 eggs, at room temperature 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup baking cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening

1-1/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled 1 8-ounce container of dairy sour cream 1 cup milk

Directions:
Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature (about 1/2 hour.) Preheat oven to 350° Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together with electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla, until well blended. Add melted chocolate and sour cream and blend well. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beat on low after each addition, just until combined. Spread batter into floured pans. Bake 25 minutes or until cakes test done. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool. Place one cake, flat side down, on cake plate. Frost with 1 cup Chocolate Fudge Frosting (following recipe). Place second cake, flat side down, on first layer. Frost sides and top with remaining frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
In a large pan over low heat, melt one 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup butter. Cool ten minutes. Stir in an 8-ounce container of sour cream and 4-1/2 cups powdered sugar. Blend until smooth. Makes about 4 cups.

No-Frost Chocolate-Chip Cake

1 cup dates chopped 1 teaspoon soda 1 cup +3 tablespoons hot water 1 cup white sugar 1 cup shortening (or 2 sticks margarine) 2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking cocoa 1 cup miniature chocolate chips, divided 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Place chopped dates in a small bowl. Sprinkle baking soda over them and pour hot water over top. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in dates. Add flour, salt, and cocoa; beat well. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and turn batter into a greased and floured 9x13" pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips and chopped nuts over the top of the cake. Bake 40 minutes at 350°. Set pan on a wire rack to cool.

Notes:
A recipe from my sister, Charlotte

Minnesota Moist Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup cocoa 1 tablespoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup HOT brewed coffee

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan. Combine all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and beat well. Bake 35 minutes or until cake tests done.

Snicker-ish Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 (14-oz.) package caramels

1/2 cup butter 1 cup chopped nuts 1 (10-oz) package chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix cake according to directions on box. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 9x13" pan and bake for ten minutes. Meanwhile, combine condensed milk, caramels, and butter in a microwave dish; melt in microwave, stirring at 30-second intervals, until liquified and well combined. Pour over partially baked cake. Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over the caramel mixture. Pour remaining batter over top and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350°. Cool on rack and frost as desired.

Hershey's Cocoa Cake

1/2 cup shortening 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa powder

1-3/4 cups unsifted flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1-3/4 cups milk

Directions:
Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Pour into cake pans. Bake about 30-35 minutes at 350° or until cake tests done. Cool ten minutes; then remove from pans. When cakes are completely cooled, frost as desired.

Texas Cake

1 stick margarine
1/2 cup shortening
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour

Mix margarine, shortening, water and cocoa in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour

Stir in

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Pour into a greased and floured sheet cake pan. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Frost with the following.

Frosting:
1 stick margarine
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix margarine, milk, cocoa and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. Beat well, fold in nuts, and spread over cake.

Notes:
There are probably a million recipes for Texas Cake on the internet, but this is the recipe as my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Netz, gave it to me.

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.

Georgia Peterson's Chocolate Cake and Fudge Icing

2/3 cup margarine 2 cups sugar 6 tablespoons cocoa 2 eggs

2-1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Melt margarine. While warm, stir in sugar and cocoa, blending well. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add milk and dry ingredients alternately, mixing well after each addition. Batter will be thin. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9-inch pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Frost with Fudge Icing (see below.)


Fudge Icing Ingredients:

2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 2 eggs

6 tablespoons milk 1/4 cup margarine 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Mix sugar, cocoa, eggs, and milk together in a heavy pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Add margarine and vanilla. Stir until cool enough to spread.

Notes:
This recipe from Georgia Peterson of Newport, Nebraska, was printed in the December 26, 1991, Rock County (Nebraska) Leader. Georgia Peterson is a well-known personality in buffalo ranching who has been elected to the National Bison Association Hall of Fame, but when I was a child growing up in Rock County, I knew her as a nice lady who went to our little country church.

Maxine Saar's Devil's Food Cake

1-1/2 cups sugar 2 cups flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening

1 cup cold water 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup cocoa 1 cup hot water

Directions:
Mix together sugar, flour, soda, and salt. Blend in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cold water. Beat the eggs and add them to the batter. Stir in vanilla. Stir cocoa into hot water and add to batter. Pour into greased and floured 9x13" cake pan. Bake at 350° until cake tests done (about 30 minutes.)

Notes:
Maxine Saar contributed this recipe to the Jolly Neighbors Extension Club of Rose, Nebraska, for a hand-written cookbook that they made 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. Marion and Maxine Saar were neighbors who lived in the Duff Valley and Maxine was my mother's first cousin. I attended country grade school through 4th grade with their children: Mark, Gary, Gwen, and Mike.

Bevie Hummel's Devils Food Cake

1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter 3 eggs 1/2 cup cocoa Boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Measure 1/2 cup cocoa in a large measuring cup. Fill to the 1-cup line with boiling water. Stir to blend thoroughly, then add to egg mixture. Add vanilla and beat well. Sift flour, soda and salt together; add alternately to egg mixture with sour milk. Pour into greased and floured 9x13" baking pan; bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Notes:
When I was a little girl, this was one of the recipes that I liked to make. The recipe was in an old paperback cookbook from Gordon, Nebraska, that my mother had, and Bevie Hummel was listed as the contributor. Sometime I copied the recipe onto a page from my spelling workbook, and somehow I still have that page. The original recipe was just a list of ingredients, but I have added some directions here to make it "proper". The batter will be thin, but the baked cake will be fine.

Very Chocolate Pound Cake

2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon Davis baking powder 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/4 cup butter softened 2 teaspoons vanilla 5 large eggs 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Grease and flour a 12-inch tube pan. Preheat oven to 325°. Sift flour, baking powder, and cocoa together into a medium bowl; stir well and set aside. In a separate bowl, use electric mixer to beat butter and sugar together until creamy; add vanilla and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Set electric mixer aside. Add cocoa mixture to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring by hand after each addition, just until mixture is blended. Spoon batter evenly into prepared tube pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpck inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool on a wire rack. Frost if desired, or dust with powdered sugar.

Notes:
Adapted from a recipe that appeared in a Davis Baking Powder magazine ad.