During WWII housing was at a premium. My folks and I lived with two other couples in a small apartment in Albany, Oregon near Camp Adair. One of the ladies, Marge Wasson, made a most wonderful chocolate cake. That recipe has been our family favorite since that time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour:
1 tablespoon vinegar into 1 cup milk to sour it if you don’t have sour milk on hand.
boil 1 cup water
set these aside to add alternately when you add the flour mixture

In a bowl combine:
2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup shortening (I use olive oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl sift together:
½ cup cocoa
2½ cup flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
Add this bowl alternately with the boiling water and sour milk to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.

If you use a Bundt pan, cook for 50 minutes. Cook cupcakes 20-25 minutes. For muffin tops, allow 10 minutes cooking time.

Chocolate Icing

3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick of butter
a few drops of milk or water

When the cake has cooled slightly, mix these ingredients. Add enough milk or water to make an easily spreadable icing.

Eat the cake while still warm.

 

An alternate icing that gives this cake a special twist is:

Chocolate-Orange Icing

Blend together:

4 oz. Cream cheese
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
lemon rind from 1 lemon
orange rind from 2 oranges
2 1/4 C. powdered sugar
2/3 C. cocoa

If your orange and lemon are large, you may need to add a little more powdered sugar.
Yield: Enough for one cake.

This recipe came from my cookbook Family Favorites from the Heartland.

 

During WWII housing was at a premium. My folks and I lived with two other couples in a small apartment in Albany, Oregon near Camp Adair. One of the ladies, Marge Wasson, made a most wonderful chocolate cake. That recipe has been our family favorite since that time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour:
1 tablespoon vinegar into 1 cup milk to sour it if you don’t have sour milk on hand.
boil 1 cup water
set these aside to add alternately when you add the flour mixture

In a bowl combine:
2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup shortening (I use olive oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl sift together:
½ cup cocoa
2½ cup flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
Add this bowl alternately with the boiling water and sour milk to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.

If you use a Bundt pan, cook for 50 minutes. Cook cupcakes 20-25 minutes. For muffin tops, allow 10 minutes cooking time.

Chocolate Icing

2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick of butter
a few drops of milk or water

When the cake has cooled slightly, mix these ingredients. Add enough milk or water to make an easily spreadable icing.

Eat the cake while still warm.

 

An alternate icing that gives this cake a special twist is:

Chocolate-Orange Icing

Blend together:

4 oz. Cream cheese
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
lemon rind from 1 lemon
orange rind from 2 oranges
2 1/4 C. powdered sugar
2/3 C. cocoa

If your orange and lemon are large, you may need to add a little more powdered sugar.
Yield: Enough for one cake.

This recipe came from my cookbook Family Favorites from the Heartland.