Week 34: Grandma's Chocolate Cake

I made this week's cake for our church's annual summer gathering.  A dear couple in our church prepares fried fish, chicken, hushpuppies, corn on the cob... in other words a delicious feast and several people prepare desserts.  This year most of the desserts were chocolate.  I was reading through some old Southern Living cookbooks and came across Grandma's Chocolate Cake.  It is similar to the Texas Sheet Cake; but after the cake is baked you top it with miniature peppermint patties and put it back in the oven for two minutes for the patties to melt so that you can spread the chocolate minty goodness all over the cake.  Then you top all with chocolate icing.  This is truly a delicious and easy cake.

Grandma's Chocolate Cake
Source: Southern Living

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12 ounce) package miniature chocolate-covered peppermint patties, unwrapped
Chocolate Icing

Combine first 4 ingredients, and set aside.
Combine butter and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.
Remove from heat; stir in baking soda.  Add flour/sugar mixture, stirring well.  Set aside to cool a bit.
Stir in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Spoon batter into a greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with candy; bake 2 additional minutes.  Gently spread
melted candy over warm cake.  Spread chocolate icing over top.

Chocolate Icing

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine butter and milk in a large saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil, and remove from heat.
Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; add to butter mixture.  Add vanilla, stirring until smooth.
Yield: 2 cups

Happy Baking!
Julie