Chocolate Cake

This is my favorite "chocolate cake" to make. It is incredibly moist with just the right amount of richness so that you can in fact finish the entire slice with a very satisfying feeling. This was for my friend Margaret's birthday party. I make it most often with cream cheese frosting. Every now and then I will make it with a chocolate ganache topping, but then I can't eat more than one slice at a time. I have a bit of a sugar addiction, which I will address at some point in time. My friend Cheryl passed this recipe along to me via her daughter, my sister-n-law Kirstin. I have only made a few adjustments. I cannot possibly thank them enough for sharing it with me. I make it often. It is pure comfort food. Every time I have ever made this to share I get inundated with recipe requests so here it is in all its glory.

Chocolate Cake:

Grease and flour 2 10 inch cake pans. I never put the wax paper in and I have never had a problem. Preheat oven to 350.

4 1/2 C Flour
4 1/2 C Sugar
2 C Cocoa Powder (my favorites are Sharfenberger, Ghiradelli)
6 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 C Buttermilk
1 1/2 C Oil
6 Eggs
3 tsp Vanilla

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients into a large mixer. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet while mixing. When they are all blended together mix for 2 minutes on high. Pour into cake pans. Not more than 3/4 full. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 15. Trim off cake top and flip onto lightly floured surface. I always make it ahead, wrap it in saran wrap, and then freeze to make the frosting process easier.

Frost with whatever sounds good to you. When I frost it with the cream cheese icing I mix cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, and a little vanilla together to taste. I will take measurements the next time I make it and add it to this post. I like to shave dark chocolate curls across the top. If its in the summer I love to serve it with strawberries, or rasperries on the plate as well.