Foodie Friday News Goddess Day Chocolate Cake

Roger Neel's retirement cake makes a comeback as National News Goddess Day cake (minus the paprika, unless you want it.).

Roger Neel Paprika** Chocolate Cake (Prep. Time about one hour plus icing and decorating time.  Serves 8.)

1 ¾ C. all-purpose flour

2 C. granulated sugar

¾ C. good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (Mexican is great if you can find it)

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 C. milk

½ C. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

1 C. boiling water*

Cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 2 9” cake pans.  Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir well to combine, breaking up clumps of cocoa as best you can.  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Start mixer at low speed until ingredients are moist then increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.  While the batter is mixing, you can boil your cup of water in the microwave for the two minutes.  When the two minutes is up, reduce the speed to low and slowly pour the boiling water into the batter.  The batter is very thin!  Pour evenly into the cake pans and place on center rack of oven.  Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out mostly clean.  It is important not to over-mix or over bake.

When cakes spring back and pass the toothpick test, remove to wire racks and allow to partially cool in the pans for ten minutes.  Carefully turn out cakes on to racks to continue to cool.  You may have to run a knife around the edge of the cakes and pat the bottom of the pans to encourage the super-moist cakes to come out.

When totally cool, fill and ice with cream cheese frosting (or butter cream). You will need 2 containers or double a standard recipe for frosting to get adequate coverage.

** When this cake was made for paprika-loving Roger Neel, 2 1/2 Tb paprika was added to the batter for a little smoky heat sensation.  Not as strange as it sounds if you're brave enough.

*boiling water allows the cocoa to “bloom” and release its flavor