Grandma's Chocolate Cake: A Birthday Tradition

I'm a baking snob. I'll admit it. I think box cakes are cheating and I brag that I can spot a box cake a mile away. I think in part my need to bake from scratch has to do with love: I know how good a homemade cake tastes, so why would I make something that is not as good for my family, especially for special occasions, like birthdays. It's an act of service to those I love to make something from scratch, a way of demonstrating my affection.

But my snobbery has another legitimate source: my grandma. I learned from the best, and that genius with pastries and batter would never have considered making a box cake. And after eating her homemade concoctions, neither would anyone else.

My grandma makes the best chocolate cake EVER. Even the Barefoot Contessa's famous chocolate cake is essentially my grandma's recipe with a little bit of coffee stirred into the boiling water at the end for good measure. While I confess to liking the coffee addition, my little family has no need for added caffeine, so we stick to Grandma's version. Brian always requests it with chocolate frosting; my mom always liked it with peppermint candies crushed on top, too; Jack prefers his with sprinkles.

Grandma's Chocolate Cake
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder (we've tried the extra dark kind, but regular is better)
1/2 c. shortening (I like Butter Crisco in the stick form)
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk (or in a pinch, make sour milk by adding 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to regular milk)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

I recommend a stand-mixer for this, since there is a lot of beating. I'm usually pretty resistant to using the stand-mixer because I'm a traditionalist, but it does make it so much easier.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two round cake pans or fill 2 muffin tins with paper cups.

Cream together the sugar, cocoa and shortening. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add buttermilk with soda stirred in; beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add dry ingredients and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes while boiling the water in the microwave. Add boiling water and slowly mix in to avoid spattering.

Pour prepared batter into the two cake pans or into the muffin tins. Bake for 35 minutes for layer cakes or 20 minutes for cupcakes.

Once cooled, frost with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
6 oz. chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiradelli bittersweet chips over the semi-sweet variety for a richer flavor)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar (I frequently skip the sifting in favor of mixing it all together by hand -- remember, I'm a traditionalist -- in the double boiler, so I only put in 2 1/4-ish c. of powdered sugar)

Melt the chips and butter in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring frequently until completely melted. Cool 5-10 minutes. Stir in the sour cream until blended. Stir in the powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time. (As I said, I usually just stir it all in by hand with a spoon until it gets a smooth sheen to it and there are no chunks of sugar left, but it would probably be easier to put it all in a separate bowl and use a hand-mixer. On the other hand, you'd dirty more dishes, which is why I always do it by hand.)

Frost cake and store in refrigerator.

Jack demonstrates the delicious messiness of taste-testing a chocolate cake.