4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup shortening or 1/2 lb butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cup cake flour
2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 eggs
Directions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F. In a small, heavy-bottomed pan, melt chocolate
and shortening, stirring over low heat until smooth and melted.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. In large bowl, combine flour,
sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate mixture,
milk and eggs, beating until smooth. Spread mixture in two greased
and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 30-to-35 minutes or
until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in
pans 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack.
Servings: 10 servings
All-American Chocolate Cake Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Cake; Chocolate; Chocolate Cake; Dessert
The History of Recipes
Food historians have traced the existence of recipes back into the distant past, in truth as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these ancient recipes were just basic pictorial recipes for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to historians is a series of ancient tablets in Sumerian which recount the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful and blissful. As we move into The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals were divided into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and afters, a very modern way of dining. This early Roman chef tells us how the chefs of Roman times used a wide range of herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks like thyme, mint and parsley. In the fifteenth century, the Crusaders brought back many new spices and herbs from the holy land, including parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes caused an explosion in manuscripts on cookery, most of which are now in academic collections. Over the following few hundred years, the powerful families of Wesstern Europe tried to serve the most exotic meals, and consequentially the best cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century that cooking and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. The introduction of television brought us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everybody to access thousands of recipes just like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this All American Chocolate Cake recipe.
