My Great Aunt Em’s chocolate cake is a moist, rich cake I made so often at home that I know and bake the recipe by heart to this day. I cannot remember a time when this cake was not a staple in our home. My father loved it so much that he teased that it was the reason he married my mother. I still make this cake especially for my birthday every year.
Instructions for Great Aunt Em’s Chocolate Cake
Assemble and Measure What You need for the recipe first.
Preheat oven to 350°. Very important step.
Grease and lightly flour 2-8” cake pans. Also, a very important step. Set
Bring 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil.
Measure and have all the ingredients for Great Aunt Em’s Chocolate Cake ready before mixing.
Step 1
- Sift together 2 ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp. B.P.
- 1 tsp. salt
- Set aside
Step 2
Measure and have ready:
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup Crisco (Great Aunt Em only used Crisco)
- ½ cup of canned milk
- 2 eggs, at room temperature.
- 1 ¼ cup boiling water.
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Step 3: Mixing Great Aunt Em’s chocolate cake
In a large mixing bowl,
- Cream together Crisco, sugar, and cocoa until light and fluffy, with no graininess. Beat in ½ cup of canned milk. Then 2 eggs, one at a time, until no trace of egg is visible.
- Alternate ¼ sifted dry ingredients with ¼ boiling water at a time. Mix just till combined.
- Do Not Over Mix. It makes for a tough cake.
- Add vanilla.
- Pour into greased and floured 8” cake pans.
- Tap on the counter to bring the air bubbles to the surface.
- Smooth surface.
Step 4
Bake the chocolate cake batter at 350° for 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake. If it does not come out clean, bake another 5-10 minutes and check with a clean toothpick. Or you can use the touch test. Lightly touch the center of the cake with your finger. If the cake springs back without leaving a finger imprint, the cake is done.
Cool on wire racks till slightly warm. Release the cake from the pan with a table knife when the bottom of the pan is still slightly warm. Invert onto a rack and cool completely.
Frosting suggestions: Follow the links to the Frosting page. (Link)
Whipped Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Butter Cream Frosting