Any Home Bakers Here?

[ronott1]

One more old cake!

Black Midnight Cake

This recipe appears in the 1956 Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's the chocolate birthday cake that I made for my children when they were at home. It's an excellent chocolate cake and when topped with a tasty chocolate icing, it just can't be beat.

Grease and flour 2 9-inch pans or a 13 x 9 inch oblong pan. Alternatively, use parchment paper for the 9-inch round pans.

Set the temperature in your oven to 350 degrees. (moderately hot oven.)

Cream the following ingredients together by beating for 5 minutes on high speed in a mixer or mix thoroughly by hand:

• 2/3 cup soft shortening
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs

Sift together in a separate bowl and set aside:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix together and set aside:

• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

· Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed shortening, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well with the mixer or by hand. Then add 1/3 of the water and vanilla mixture. Mix well. Repeat using the second 1/3 of dry then the second w/3 of liquid. Do the same to the last 1/3 of dry and and then the last 1/3 of liquid until all ingredience are incorporated into the cake batter. It is important to mix well after each addition of the dry ingredients and after each addition of the liquid. This gives a very smooth cake batter. Mixing time for each addition should be about 1/2 to 1 minute.

· Pour into the prepared pans. Bake until cake test done. (Approximately 30 minutes for the 9 inch round pans or 40 to 45 minutes for the oblong pan.) Cool. This will probably take 30 minutes. If you have done the round cakes and plan on doing a 2 layered cake, you can do the following. Insert a table knife, cutting knife or other straight edge between the cake and the side of the pan. Make sure it goes to the bottom of the pan. Move the knife around the entire circle (or square) of the pan. For the greased floured pans, you can then let them set upside down over a plate. The cake should fall away from the bottom of the pan onto the plate. If you have put wax paper on the bottom of the pan, turn the cake pan upside down either on your hand on on a plate, take off the paper, and then flip the cake right side up onto a cake plate. Put icing on the cake as desired. There are several tests to see if a cake is done. If a cake is done, you can take your finger and press lightly in the center of the cake and it will spring back without leaving an indentation. Take a cake out of the oven and listen to it. It sings slightly when it is baking. When it is done, it makes no sound. Cakes also pull away from the sides of the pan slightly when they are done. A toothpick put in the center of a cake will come out clean when the cake is done.

Butter cream frosting is great on this cake!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Thanks Ron curious we may have that book but sitting here full and happy

 

[DigMyChicks]

Everyone is fine and accounted for but they were held an extra 2 hours and 20 minutes. Apparently, some guy with dreadlocks and a trench coat got in to the school and barricaded himself in a bathroom but managed to get out before the police got there. They searched the entire school and didn't find him anywhere. The school did a great job with keeping everyone safe and mostly calm. That's just not something that happens around here and is about the most terrifying and helpless feeling. The only reason that I knew what was going on was another mother heard me asking about the elementary school when I was picking my son up from the middle school. The school wouldn't say more than they're on a precautionary lockdown but this other mother knew someone at the police station and filled me in. Very scary. I'm just thankful that everyone was ok.



Your cookies are beautiful!

Thank you

 

[DigMyChicks]

Beautiful cookies - people will love receiving those!

Thank you! Those that received them did. The second stop I made was my bank...the girls are always so friendly there. I just went to the drive through and dropped them off and she actually had tears in her eyes she was so tickled.

 

[DigMyChicks]

One more old cake!

Black Midnight Cake

This recipe appears in the 1956 Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's the chocolate birthday cake that I made for my children when they were at home. It's an excellent chocolate cake and when topped with a tasty chocolate icing, it just can't be beat.

Grease and flour 2 9-inch pans or a 13 x 9 inch oblong pan. Alternatively, use parchment paper for the 9-inch round pans.

Set the temperature in your oven to 350 degrees. (moderately hot oven.)

Cream the following ingredients together by beating for 5 minutes on high speed in a mixer or mix thoroughly by hand:

• 2/3 cup soft shortening
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs

Sift together in a separate bowl and set aside:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix together and set aside:

• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

· Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed shortening, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well with the mixer or by hand. Then add 1/3 of the water and vanilla mixture. Mix well. Repeat using the second 1/3 of dry then the second w/3 of liquid. Do the same to the last 1/3 of dry and and then the last 1/3 of liquid until all ingredience are incorporated into the cake batter. It is important to mix well after each addition of the dry ingredients and after each addition of the liquid. This gives a very smooth cake batter. Mixing time for each addition should be about 1/2 to 1 minute.

· Pour into the prepared pans. Bake until cake test done. (Approximately 30 minutes for the 9 inch round pans or 40 to 45 minutes for the oblong pan.) Cool. This will probably take 30 minutes. If you have done the round cakes and plan on doing a 2 layered cake, you can do the following. Insert a table knife, cutting knife or other straight edge between the cake and the side of the pan. Make sure it goes to the bottom of the pan. Move the knife around the entire circle (or square) of the pan. For the greased floured pans, you can then let them set upside down over a plate. The cake should fall away from the bottom of the pan onto the plate. If you have put wax paper on the bottom of the pan, turn the cake pan upside down either on your hand on on a plate, take off the paper, and then flip the cake right side up onto a cake plate. Put icing on the cake as desired. There are several tests to see if a cake is done. If a cake is done, you can take your finger and press lightly in the center of the cake and it will spring back without leaving an indentation. Take a cake out of the oven and listen to it. It sings slightly when it is baking. When it is done, it makes no sound. Cakes also pull away from the sides of the pan slightly when they are done. A toothpick put in the center of a cake will come out clean when the cake is done.

Butter cream frosting is great on this cake!

That’s the first homemade cake I ever made. I might have to give it a whirl again. The only chocolate cake I make anymore is crazy cake.

 

[DigMyChicks]

Rats, self-taught. Here I was thinking I could blame my lack of skill to not being in the right class

I have an oldie Betty Crocker cookbook too. That thing must be over 40 years old now but there are still some of my favorite recipes in it.

You can do anything you put your mind to Debby...I wish I could bake bread. I’ve made a few loaves and it’s good but I’d never be brave enough to bake all the breads like all of you do. My family doesn’t like homemade either.

 

[ronott1]

That’s the first homemade cake I ever made. I might have to give it a whirl again. The only chocolate cake I make anymore is crazy cake.

Me too! I have not made that cake in 25 years or so

 

[dunnmom]

Oh... You all are making me want chocolate cake.

 

[pennyJo1960]

have chocolate frosting for my yeast doughnuts

 

[ronott1]

View attachment 1216090 have chocolate frosting for my yeast doughnuts

Yum!