This is my 100th recipe post on www.nanaclareskitchen, so I wanted it to be special. And I want to thank all of you who have been such great supporters. I love hearing your comments and suggestions.

Meanwhile, let’s eat cake!

This cake is made without a heart shaped pan. A recipe card was sent to me from Better Homes and Gardens slugged “Best-Ever Chocolate Cake.” Naturally I had to take it for a test drive and Valentine’s Day (or week, or month) seemed the perfect time.


Years ago I learned to make a heart shaped pan using an 8” square pan and an 8” round pan. Yes, from one of my childhood cookbooks – Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cookbook. I think it’s from the ‘60’s, but I’ve lost the cover and the first 20 or so pages. But the cakes and cookies sections are still with me – naturally. It’s the same book that includes my favorite fudge frosting, which I used for this cake. And it shows how to turn the square cake to look like a diamond. Then you cut the round cake in half and put each half along the top of the diamond and voila! A heart.




Because this is a Valentine’s Day cake, I wanted it to be special, so before I frosted it, I spread a thin layer of my raspberry jam on the top of the cake. And then I held my breath, wondering if I’d be able to get the frosting to go on smoothly.

The jam is made from raspberries I picked last summer with my daughter-in-law Kara and her two adorable little girls, Sophia (6) and Clare (5). Baby Oliver was in her belly at the time. So it made me happy just looking at the jam. But I do love the addition of a fruit jam with chocolate cake. If you don’t, no problem, leave it out.
The ingredients in this cake look typical, but the directions were more specific so perhaps that will account for the “best-ever” moniker. Let’s bake a cake!

Ingredients
¾ cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups milk

Directions
• Let butter and eggs hang out at room temp for 30 minutes. (While you check emails.)
• Grease 8” (or 9”) square pan and 9” round pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds.
• Gradually add sugar to butter, while beating on medium speed.
• Scrape bowl, continue beating for a total of 6 minutes. Add vanilla.
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing about 30 seconds after each one.
• Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating just long enough to mix the ingredients after each addition.
• Scrape side of bowl and beat another 30 seconds on medium when everything has been added.
• Spread evenly into prepared pans.
• Tap the pans on the counter several times to remove any air bubbles before you pop them in the oven.
• Bake 30 – 35 minutes. If you’re using a square pan and a round pan, you may find the round pan is done sooner, so be careful to keep checking the oven.
• Cake is done when the center springs back from a light touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Set pans out to cool completely before you frost them.

Fudge Frosting – an heirloom recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ cup butter
½ cup milk
2 TBS light corn syrup
1 ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Mix the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan.
Add the butter, milk and corn syrup and bring to a boil.
Boil for two minutes, stirring often.
Remove from heat and set the pan in cold water.
When you can hold your hand on the bottom of the pan, the syrup is cool enough.
Use a small mixer to blend in the vanilla and powdered sugar until the frosting is thick enough to spead. If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, add milk, a tablespoon at a time.
The frosting should hold its’ shape, but still be creamy enough to spread.

The jam did make the frosting a little more difficult to spread, but it added such an interesting layer of fruit. My hubby, Papa Ken, loved the addition of the jam. He said, “This is a very good cake, but not as good as Cowboy Cake.” OK, I accept that as high praise because he loves his Cowboy Cake. http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2011/12/27/cowboy-cake/

This is a dark dense chocolate cake with a great flavor and texture – and it’s very moist. The frosting is always amazing and goes together so quickly. You’ll never eat frosting from a can once you’ve made this one. Indulge in the sensory tastes of moist rich chocolate cake topped with a fudge frosting. And if you want to add the layer of surprise, the jam was a great addition.