Betty was a sister-in-law to one of my grandmothers; Grandma baked her cake for years. It's one of the recipes that is jotted down with one simple line of instructions: mix. Consider this to be the little black dress of chocolate cakes - versatile, always right. Dress it up (double layers, frosted) or dress it down (cupcakes), bake it in a half-sheet or 9"x13" pan - the choice is yours. The outcome is delicious.
BETTY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 cup sugar
1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 T vanilla
Mix the above together, then add:
1 cup boiling water (slowly add and mix)
Mix.
[Bake at 350 - time will vary depending upon choice of pan. It was ~ 15 mins for cupcakes.]
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (recipe from The Cake Doctor cookbook)
3 T butter
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
Blend the butter and cocoa on low speed with electric mixer. Add the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla. Slowly increase the mixer speed to medium. Beat until fluffy (about 1 minute more).