Sue B. and Fuzz G.’s Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 9 oz all purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 4 T buttermilk cold plus more if needed) — room temperature not
• 0.8 cup natural cocoa powder unsweetened
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 14 oz granulated sugar 
• 3 cups powdered sugar 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 pinch salt — if using butter salted
• 12 oz butter unsalted salted room temperature (important)
• 1.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate 
• 1.5 oz chocolate unsweetened
• 3 T cocoa powder unsweetened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 0.8 cup water boiling

Equipment

• bowl
• baking paper
• oven
• mixing bowl
• double boiler
• microwave
• measuring cup
• baking spatula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 9-inch round pans with flour-added cooking spray and line bottoms with a round of parchment paper.
2. Mix cocoa and boiling water together in a small bowl or large measuring cup; set aside.
3. Mix buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl
4. Mix sugar, flour, salt and baking soda together in a second mixing bowl.
5. Mix dry ingredients into buttermilk/oil mixture and stir well with a heavy duty rubber scraper.
6. Mix in cocoa mixture – ours was still very warm when we stirred it in. Stir until well mixed (though batter might have a few lumps). Don’t overbeat the flour.
7. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn from pans and cool.Frosting: Melt both chocolates in microwave, double boiler or bowl set over barely simmering water; set aside to cool. Beat the butter until creamy. Make sure it’s not too cold or it might cause the chocolate to re-solidify. Stir in the cocoa power, about a cup of the powdered sugar, and the cooled melted chocolate. Scrape sides of bowl and beat well; add remaining powdered sugar, then add room temperature milk, vanilla and salt, beating and scraping until you get the consistency you like.