Sure enjoyed the chocolate vs white cake thread

[locks]

If you're really short on time here's an old recipe you might like

Wacky Chocolate Cake

3 C flour
2 C sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 squares bitter chocolate, melted
2 C warm water

Sift together dry ingredients. Place in ungreased 13X10X2 baking dish. Make 3 indentations in dry ingredients; mix last 4 ingredients and add to dry. Mix well. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until set in center.

[SheilaT]

1. Actually,

it was chocolate vs white frosting.

But back to your recipe. Have you made it? How does it turn out? I'm guessing you'll get cake with gooey indentations that are actually on the bitter side.

More to the point, people who think it's a lot of work to bake a cake from scratch clearly haven't tried. If you have all the ingredients, and don't need to race out to buy something, it's only about two or three minutes longer in prep time than a mix.

True story: Some years back when my mother turned 80, we had a nice big party for her. My sister who was hosting the event asked me to bake a couple of cakes, and she'd make another dessert. So I made the chocolate cake with the recipe from the back of the Hershey's cocoa box, the same one I made the other day. I frosted one with white frosting, one with chocolate. Everyone at the party had a choice. To my sister's astonishment, every single person who took a piece of cake ate the entire thing. She'd always baked from a box mix, and even the kids at her kids' birthday parties rarely ate a whole piece of cake. The difference between the real thing and the fake thing.

[locks]

2. Sorry-I really did read all the posts. You're sure right

about cakes from scratch. I often wonder how our grandmothers made everything from scratch, sometimes without inside water, and on a coal stove. As a child I can remember watching my great grandmother do it all when we visited her in the country. Including killing and dressing the bird for the best fried chicken. And perfect cakes.

I got the wacky chocolate cake from my mother-in-law and made it often when my kids were growing up. It's delicious. You can't take it out of the baking dish to frost it but the kids always enjoyed making a cake in one pan in no time and little clean-up.

[SheilaT]

3. The main reason I only bake sheet cakes is because my layers NEVER

turn out right. The last time ever I tried to bake layers, was at least 25 years ago, for one of my sons' birthdays. They are now 32 and 27, and I don't recall which kid it was. Anyway, the layers came out so hideously uneven I cried. The kid didn't care, but I did.

Once I volunteered to help make snacks for the Valentine's Day party for one of them. I was all set to make cupcakes, from scratch, when I was told I must make a cherry cake cupcakes. Which meant using a mix. I hated it. It offended my very soul to give those wonderful kids those nasty chemicals. At least I made the frosting from scratch. Have you ever tasted the canned frostings? OMG! They are uneatable. Totally.


Because I live alone and I love to bake, I'm always in needed of people to give stuff away to. Several years ago, when I was still working, for a while I'd bake something on a Friday and bring it in to work. Sigh. Everything I brought was greatly appreciated. At least with cookies and brownies I can freeze them and take them out one by one to eat.

[dem in texas]

4. Easy white Cake

I have made the wacky cake many times. My kids also loved it. Here is one bowl white cake that is easy to make. I got this recipe from late sister in law, she was a great cook!

Jeanette's Easy Buttermilk Cake

2 1/2 plus 6 Tbsp flour (cake flour is best) 3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt 3 eggs unbeaten
1 2/3 cup sugar

Sift dry ingredients, set aside. In large mixing bowl, stir butter just to soften. Add dry ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla. Mix till flour is dampened, beat 2 minutes at low speed, add eggs, beat 1 minute longer. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

For better results use 3 9" layer cake pans bake at 375, for 25 minutes. Ice with fluffy frosting.

Note: I put raspberry preserves between the layers and make a white cream cheese frosting. Then I cover the frosting with coconut.

[locks]

5. Sounds really delicious, thanks

In the summer I sometimes spread slightly softened vanilla ice cream between the layers and put the cake in the freezer for a few minutes before serving.