Kay’s Coco Cake from Amy B

This recipe is from Amy’s mother’s church friend. It was included in a 7-page letter with instructions for how to be a great baker.

2 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

½ cup coco

½ cup warm water

4 eggs (separated)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

⅓ teaspoon salt (if using margarine or butter, 1/2 tsp if you use Crisco)

1 cup buttermilk

cream sugar and shortening, 5-10 min. mix coco and water set aside + vanilla. mix flour, soda, and salt. set aside. add to cream sugar & shortening coco mix beat 2-to-5 min until creamy. add egg yolks one at a time beat until well mixed. one minute more. starting with buttermilk add 1/3 of milk, alternating with 1/3 flour mix. ending with flour. beat again 2 min more. Now fold in egg whites.

Bake 25 (35) at 350° – make two 9” inch cake pans or (one sheet cake, bake 30. always use toothpick test)

Never fail chocolate or coco icing

½ cup coco (or 2 squares chocolate, melt with butter)

½ cup margarine (1 stick)

2 cup sugar

2/3 cups milk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

mix coco, sugar, salt. add milk and margarine. bring to a full rolling boil stirring all the time it is cooking. cook until it forms a ball dropped into cold water. or you own method of checking. remove from stove. place in pan of cold water to cool. add vanilla now. Do not stir until cool. Then I whip until light and creamy.

Spread on cold cake.

enough icing for large cake (I use half for sheet cake).