Texas Chocolate Cake
I first ate this cake in 1970 at a large party given for faculty in my husband's department
(Computer Science). When I asked for the recipe, I was told it was called Texas Cake and was
from the Bevier Hall Cafeteria, UIUC, Urbana, IL. This cafeteria is the workplace and teaching facility
for young students of food science at the University of Illinois. The cake soon became our
traditional birthday cake and special occasion chocolate cake. It's incredibly rich, has a deep
chocolate flavor, and keeps for days (if no one discovers that there's still some left). I've made
it in a sheet cake or 8 " squares, but it's also wonderful in the character cakes I used to prepare
for my girls' birthdays: Holly Hobbie, Cookie Monster, Raggedy Ann, etc.
Ingredients:
Use only pure vanilla, unsweetened Dutch cocoa, pure butter, and very fresh eggs.
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 lb. butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 400°. Mix sugar, flour, and salt.
Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil, and pour over the flour mixture.
Mix well.
Mix together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.
Add this to the other mixture, and mix very well.
Bake in a greased 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inch jelly roll pan. Bake 20 minutes.
5 minutes before cake is done, mix the following:
- 1/4 lb. butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/3 cup milk
Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and add:
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 1 cup nuts (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Beat, spread on hot cake.