It's a cake! There's a hole in this cake...

Hi all,
I thought it'd been a while since I had done a recipe on here, so today, I'm sharing with you a wonderfully easy cake recipe that tastes divine. I got it from my From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good and Rachel Thomas Pellman.

This cookbook is the best cookbook I have ever used. Pretty much any recipe I've made has been a hit with Mr. K.  I think there was only one recipe in it that we didn't particularly enjoy, but it wasn't bad tasting.

He now smiles and rubs his belly when he sees me pull out this book. It makes me grin from ear to ear.

Anyway, on to the recipe!

Moist Chocolate Cake (makes 1 large sheet cake, or 1 ring cake and small loaf cake)

The French line up

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, sifted
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda*
1 teaspoon baking powder*
1 large pinch of salt
1/2 cup of oil (I used Sunflower Oil)
1 cup of hot coffee (I used a strong French one here called Carte Noire)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

* If you don't have baking soda, you can use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar powder. That is what I did and it turned out perfectly in France. Baking Soda is hard to come by here.

Directions:
1. Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and soda (or powder and tartar), and salt in a large bowl. Using a whisk helps get everything incorporated, plus it's my favorite utensil in the kitchen.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in order the oil, coffee, milk, and eggs.
3. Beat just enough to mix well. (Batter will be slightly lumpy.) I beat my batter about two to three minutes with a whisk until I no longer had to mix in the white flour.
4. Pour into a greased 9" by 13" cake pan (or a ring pan, or bundt pan, or any pan you like...just make sure to fill it only 2/3 to 3/4 full, otherwise you'll risk an over flow in the oven.).
5. Bake at 350 F (175 C) for about 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Do not overbake! Cake will be moist, just not gooey.
6. Cool in pan on wire rack about 25 minutes. Flip over with pan still attached and let finish cooling. Cake will fall out of pan by itself. Don't force it out or it will break and become a great crumble topping for ice cream.
7. Spread slightly warm cake with Quick Caramel Frosting (or any other favorite you like!).
8. Enjoy!

Voila! It's a cake!

Quick Caramel Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar (I used light brown)
1/4 milk
1 3/4 to 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (<<Sucre glace>> or just plain old powdered sugar)

Directions:
1. Melt butter in saucepan at medium low setting. Add brown sugar and cook over low heat two minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add milk and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Do not adjust temperature!
3. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add confectioner's sugar until frosting reaches a spreading consistency (i.e, it looks like something you put on cupcakes).

Enjoy a slice just for you!

Some notes:
The cake is great served at room temperature or served cold. Makes it a great picnic cake.

You can keep any remaining frosting in an airtight jar/container in the fridge for up to about five days.