The Best Chocolate Cake

Sloan had a costume party for her birthday. A few of her friends came early and raided our costume box. Sloan is wearing my pink prom dress I made when I was 16.

Chauncey wore two of Sloan’s tutu’s and one of his favorite hats. We’re still not sure what he was suppose to be!

A couple of swim team friends came after the group picture.

I forgot to take a picture of the food table. We had a candy theme.

This is my daughter Jennie’s chocolate cake recipe, and it is the best and easiest chocolate cake ever! One of the things that make it so wonderful is the King Arthur Cocoa that I bought when I was in Maine.

The Best Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder*

3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup hot water

3/4 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8” round cake pans (or two 6” round pans and 24 cupcakes) with Baker’s Joy and parchment paper.

Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into mixer bowl.

On low, stir in eggs, buttermilk, hot water, oil, and vanilla; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary.

Pour into prepared pans and bake, rotating the pans once, 35-45 minutes. (Less for the cupcakes)

Remove cakes to a cooling rack and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes before unmolding.

When the cakes (and cupcakes) are completely cool, frost with icing.

The Best Frosting

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heavy Cream

6-8 cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted

In a mixer beat the butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add 3 cups of confectioners sugar and beat well, Add some cream and 2 more cups of confectioners sugar beating well, add more cream and more confectioners sugar until you have the desired consistency.

Cream Puffs With Chocolate Pudding

When I was a teenager my mother bought herself a Betty Crocker Cookbook. We loved that cookbook, especially me! I seemed to spill a lot on the pages, so all my favorite recipes were marked with food. She bought me a notebook style one. After I was married I used my cookbook a lot, and soon all my favorite recipes were marked with food spots. One time when I was at my moms I decided to make something out of the favorite cookbook, and I grabbed hers and low and behold there were no food spots! She lovingly took it from my hands and replaced it with the old stained one! She didn't want me to stain her good one!

The other day I was at our local second hand store (D.I.) and I found another copy of my favorite cookbook. I decided to buy it for my 12 year old daughter, Sloan. I thought we could find some recipes that she would want to try (she's a very picky eater). She brought it to me the other day and asked if we could try cream puffs! I quickly told her yes! They are fun to eat and not to hard to make. We decided to fill them with chocolate pudding. The picture above is my cookbook on the right and my daughters on the left. Someone left some previous food spots to mark some recipes!

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and add eggs all at once, stir vigorously until smooth. Drop dough by 1/4 cup full’s onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool. Cut off tops. Pull out filaments of soft dough. Carefully fill puffs with chocolate pudding and whipped cream. Dust tops with powdered sugar.
Makes 11 - 12 puffs.

This is how the dough looks after you add the eggs

Carefully drop onto ungreased cookie sheets

Chauncey takes a turn

After they are baked

Chocolate Pudding

2 cups milk
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend sugar, cornstarch, salt and cocoa powder in a 2 qt saucepan. Add milk and egg and whisk well. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour in a bowl and press plastic wrap onto top of the pudding. Cool in refrigerator until cold.

Someone has to lick the pan, it's chocolate!

The Swim Meet and my Hand

                

The Regional Swim Meet was long! There were 9 heats of 500 Freestyle for both boys and girls. Chauncey came in 4th place overall for the boys and received a medal!

I went to see a surgeon yesterday for my hand. He gave me 3 shots in it to numb it, then he pulled on my little finger to try to set the joint in the right place. It didn’t work, so Monday morning they will do surgery and put a pin in it. My hand is really sore again from all the pulling, and the shots were so painful! I hate needles!

2 Shaved Heads, A Swim Meet and my hand

Chauncey is on the high school swim team and they have a tradition that they all shave their heads in a buzz when they go to the Regional Competition. Last night the team had a big spaghetti dinner, then all the boys that wanted to follow the tradition went over to the coach’s house to get their heads buzzed! It’s Chauncey’s first year on the team so he was pretty excited about it. Ken decided that he would shave his head in support of all of all of Chauncey’s hard work. Last night Chauncey shaved his dad’s head in a buzz. I’ve never seen my sweet hubby without hair!

So, how do you think my guys look?

Chauncey will be swimming the 200 Freestyle and the 500 Freestyle. He’s also an alternate for the 400 Freestyle Relay. I can’t wait to go watch the meet today!

Before we go to the meet I’m seeing a surgeon about my hand. So cross your fingers for me that I don’t need surgery.  It’s been two weeks and my hand has finally quit throbbing all the time.