1¾ cups cake flour
1⅓ cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup softened butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 or 3 ounces (2 or 3 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted
Mix dry ingredients well. Add fat and half of the milk; beat until creamy. Mix in remaining milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add chocolate; beat until creamy.
Pour into two 8-inch greased and floured layer cake pans. Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake surface springs back when touched lightly. Cool cake a few minutes before removing from the pans. When cool, frost with creamy chocolate frosting (this page).
Note: For a loaf cake, use a greased and floured 9- by 12-inch cakepan. Bake about 40 minutes.
Creamy white frosting
For 8-inch layer cake or 9- by 12-inch loaf cake
About 2½ cups confectioner’s sugar
⅓ cup softened butter or margarine
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat about 2 cups of the sugar with all other ingredients until frosting is creamy and smooth. Beat in enough of the remaining sugar for a frosting that will spread evenly. Spread on cooled cake.
Variation
Creamy chocolate frosting.—Mix in 1 or 2 ounces (1 or 2 squares) of melted chocolate. Or increase milk to ¼ cup and use ⅓ cup cocoa. Beat until creamy and smooth.