This is a great-tasting chocolate cake that uses cocoa instead of baking chocolate (I tend to have cocoa on hand much more often than baking chocolate). It also uses buttermilk, which contributes to the moistness of the cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute soured milk (eg. milk soured with a bit of vinegar), though buttermilk is best. Shortening makes a well-risen, nicely textured cake, but you can use vegetable oil instead.

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Here I’ve made it with oil instead of shortening, added a few chocolate chips (which sank to the bottom, no surprise – cake batter is not particularly thick!), filled and frosted with Cocoa Fudge Icing.

Chocolate Cake or Cocoa Fudge Cake

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups cake flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening (or substitute other fat or oil)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Measure all ingredients into large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer for about 30 seconds on low, and then for about 3 minutes on high, scraping the sides of the bowl.

Pour into two greased and floured 9″ round pans (or one 9 x 13 pan, or a 12-cup bundt pan).

Bake at 350*F for 30 – 35 minutes (35 – 40 min for a 9 x 13; a bundt cake 40 – 45 min).

Cool. Fill and frost with chocolate or mocha frosting, white mountain frosting, or whipped cream.

This cake is also good at making theme cakes. For example, you can cut shapes and piece cake into (for example) a kitty or dog shape and then frost and decorate.