This recipe is originally the Pioneer Woman’s, but I made a few changes for our family, mostly in reducing the sugar, changing the size of the baking pan and the length of baking time, and dividing the frosting in half.
For 9×13 pan / 3 9″ cake layers:
1 c butter /1-1/2 c
6 T cocoa powder / 9 T
1 c water, boiling, or coffee, boiling / 1-1/2 c
2 c flour / 3 c
1-1/2 c sugar / 2-1/4 c
1/4 teaspoon salt / heaping 1/4 tsp
1/2 c buttermilk / 3/4 c
2 eggs, beaten / 3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda / 1-1/2 tsp
1 tsp vanilla / 1-1/2 tsp
Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in cocoa powder, then stir in boiling water or coffee. Let boil for 30 seconds. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir together. Add the chocolate, and stir slightly to cool the chocolate. Measure the buttermilk into a measuring cup, add eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Whisk together. Stir buttermilk into the chocolate batter. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Or follow the quantities to make 3 9″ cake layers, divide the batter evenly among the greased, parchment lined layer pans, and bake at 350 for 17 minutes or until done. Let cool, and frost with any frosting for a 3 layer cake.
While the 9×13 cake is baking, make icing:
1/2 c pecans finely chopped
1/2 c butter
3 T cocoa powder
3 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 c powdered sugar
In a saucepan, melt butter, add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Turn off heat. Add milk, vanilla, and stir in powdered sugar. Stir in pecans. When the cake is out of the oven, spread the warm frosting over the cake. Yum!
