This week is my birthday. I am not going to share how old I am, but I am GenX who grew up with a mom who made my birthday cake each year. A store-bought cake was not a choice for my family even with my dad working for Kroger. The fact that my mom did not use a box mix for my birthday cake proved she loved me; she hated baking. I was the only one who really liked this cake so most of it was frozen, and I got a piece every so often until it was gone. Many cultures in the world celebrate birthdays with a sweet treat to make the guest of honor feel special and cared for. Candles on a cake symbolize longevity, one candle for each year lived and one to grow on. Blowing out the candles is supposed to make your wish come true. Some people only use 3 candles on the cake, one each for past, present, and future. I rarely had candles because I was afraid of blowing them out and refused each year. Yes, I am weird.
This recipe calls for oleo, which is the same as margarine. It also specifies a brand name, Wesson oil, which is a vegetable oil. I left these in because if my mom wrote this on her recipe card then it means that she tried another type, and it did not work for her. I have not had this cake for a long time, over 15 years. This cake is a sweet, chocolate cake. If I made it today, I do not think it would live up to my memories of it. (And I would try the peanut butter icing recipe from February with it).
Buttermilk chocolate cake
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick oleo
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
½ cup Wesson oil
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
½ teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift flour and sugar together- heat water, oleo, oil and cocoa until it boils, then pour flour and sugar- add milk with soda in it. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix all by hand. Bake in 9 13 pan for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Chocolate icing
1 stick oleo
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix oleo, cocoa, and buttermilk in saucepan and bring to a boil. Then remove and add sugar and vanilla. Ice cake while still hot. Let cool and the icing set up before serving.
Serve the best chocolate cake with a glass of cold milk or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to store and freeze
Store this chocolate cake with buttermilk in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the fridge for about one week.
Freeze the buttermilk cake: Make, bake and cool the cake to room temperature. Store the unfrosted chocolate cake wrapped tightly, in an airtight and freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the moist chocolate cake at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.