But the focus of this blog is the cake. It's just my standard Chocolate Cake recipe http://gramma-d.blogspot.ca/2011/01/hot-water-chocolate-cake.html but baked in a large greased and floured cookie sheet. Many years ago I learned something from a wise woman with five children: they don't really want the cake. They need something to hold the icing. She would bring her cake contribution baked in a lasagna pan, generously iced, and everyone loved it. No rules state the cake must be two and one half inches thick.
And this icing is pretty good. I probably published it before but this time I thought I would illustrate the process.
So it goes like this.
1. Bake a large sheet of cake. Remember that if you bake in a cookie sheet that it will be done much sooner than in a 9 x 13 cake pan. The thinner it spreads the quicker it bakes.
2. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in a cooking pot. Medium heat.
3. Stir in 1 cup brown sugar. Heat until mixture boils, stirring briskly.
4. Shut heat off. Stir in 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk.
Add 1 tsp vanilla. It will look like runny gravy.
5. Add one cup icing sugar. It will probably go lumpy, which annoys me profusely so I take out the hand mixer and beat it on low.
Add another half cup icing sugar. Don't make it too thick. I would guess no more than two cups icing sugar total. It should be runny enough pour out of the pot onto the cake.
6. Beat until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour over cake and spread quickly over all the top. If you don't care for the knife marks see #8
8. Pour a teaspoon or so milk or cream on the icing and smooth quickly with butter knife. Repeat until it is as smooth and shiny as you want it to be, the milk just works into the icing.
9. There you are. Prepare a gracious comeback to the compliments.
My favorite was this one " Auntie, what have you DONE to this chocolate cake?"
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