HOCHSTEDLER FAMILY'S BROWN STONE FRONT CAKE

 Now that I am back, sorta, volunteering at Hillcrest that means I am also back in my kitchen. The cooler temperatures (fall will be here officially tomorrow) also draw me to my kitchen. 

I said I am "sorta" back volunteering because I am still not back to the register (I really miss it though), but I am going in on Mondays (volunteers' day - store is closed) for an hour or two and clean around the registers and glass cases. I tell myself I am getting some good cardio and I am loving seeing and talking to the other volunteers. When I get through I go to the YMCA and walk my 30 minutes against the current in thee Lazy River.

Last week, I found this fabulous chocolate cake recipe from the Hochstedler Family Cookbook. I have made several recipes from this cookbook. This time I looked in the first section called "Grandma & Grandpa's Favorites. Leona, Emanuel and Mattie Hochstedler's daughter prefaced the recipe by saying, "Mom made a lot of these cakes. When I was 7 years old, I made this cake for the first time. I made it for Mom's birthday. Mom didn't use a lot of recipes."

I would love to know where the title came from. Brown Stone Front Cake. It is a delicious basic chocolate cake. My husband said he liked my chocolate cakes that also have chocolate chips in them. I bet you could add some chips to this recipe. She didn't mention anything about frosting the cake so I didn't. I just sifted some powdered sugar on top. A lot of the volunteers don't like real sweet desserts. The powdered sugar worked great, it didn't cover up the rich chocolate taste, but you could add your favorite chocolate icing if you wanted to.

BROWN STONE FRONT CAKE

2       cups flour

3/4    cup cocoa

1       teaspoon baking powder

1/2    cup (1 stick) butter (room temperature)

1-1/2 cups sugar

2       eggs

1/2    cup milk

1       teaspoon vanilla

1       teaspoon soda

1/2    cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking powder.

Set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. 

Add flour mixture (3x) alternately with

milk.  Add vanilla.

Mix soda with hot water and

add to the batter.

Spread in pan and

bake for 30 to 35 minutes. 

This makes a very moist cake.

I sprinkled it with sifted powder sugar before

I cut it the next morning at the thrift shop..

HAPPY FALL ( a day early)🍂