LOLA HAHN'S CHOCOLATE "CHOCOLATE" CAKE

Don loves chocolate cake.  I love Don.  So, for years, I searched for a scrumptious chocolate cake recipe.  About 25 years ago, at a family reunion in Bryan, Texas, Don spied a huge slice of frosting-covered chocolate cake on the dessert table.  Evidently, this was the stuff of his childhood memories - a dessert he first tasted when he was a little fella - a chocolate cake made by Mrs. Lola Hahn. Quickly, I decided that, since her cake was at the reunion, Mrs. Hahn was somewhere in that room, anxious to share her recipe with me.   And, sure enough, she was!  I introduced myself, told her of my husband's love for her cake, and asked if she would mail the recipe to me. Ms. Hahn quickly responded, "Oh, Honey. No need to mail it. Grab a napkin and a pen.  I know this recipe by heart."  Since that time, Ms. Lola Hahn's cake is our family's favorite, particularly for our birthdays.    In honor of Ms. Hahn, and the marvel of chocolate, we named her cake Lola Hahn's Chocolate "Chocolate" Cake.  It's a moist, rich, extra-chocolaty delight. Enjoy!

CAKE:
For a BIG cake (3 or 4 larger layers), increase the following ingredients to 1 1/2 recipe.

Step #1
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the following ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Step #2
In a medium saucepan, combine the following:
1 cup water
2 sticks (1 cup) butter (The 3 butter sticks in the picture indicate the 1 1/2 recipe quantity.)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (like Hersey's)


Over low-medium heat, stir these ingredients until all are combined and slightly boiling.  Slowly pour the hot mixture (ingredients from Step #2) into the dry ingredients (Step #1).  Using a mixer, thoroughly combine the dry and wet ingredients.





Step #3
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2  teaspoons vanilla

Pour the buttermilk into a small mixing bowl.  Add the baking soda, stirring it into the milk.  Allow this to sit for approximately 2-5 minutes, until the soda and buttermilk have increased in volume.  Thoroughly stir in the vanilla and eggs.  Next, thoroughly, mix the Step #3 wet ingredients into the previously combined ingredients from Step # 1 and #2. 

Grease and lightly flour three, round cake pans.  (You may use Pam and the flour dusting.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Evenly distribute the cake mixture into the 3 pans. 
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes (or slightly more, depending on your oven).  A toothpick inserted in the middle of a layer should come out clean.  Cool completely before icing the cake.

ICING:
(If you are making the bigger version, increase the ingredients below to 1 1/2 quantity.)

1 stick butter - softened
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 box (or more) powdered sugar
Milk to make spreadable. 
(Blend all together thoroughly - adding additional powdered sugar and/or more milk to reach a fairly thick, but spreadable, icing.)

Select a cake plate.  Work with one layer at a time, adding icing between each layer.  Ice the top and sides until the icing covers the entire cake.  Leave the iced cake uncovered for, approximately, one  hour before serving.  This step allows the icing to set.