Today is someone’s birthday….

Well, that’s true about every day, but today it’s someone close to me….

and much, much taller then he was twenty five years ago!

I found the recipe I used for his fifth birthday, so it seemed time to use it again.

First, get out the trusty 9×13 pan

one with a lid…and get to work.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

2 eggs

1 ½ cups firm packed brown sugar

2 oz (2 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

2 cups sifted cake flour (like I had a 5 year old and cake flour in the house at the same time – HA!)

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

¼ C white vinegar

¾ C milk

1 t vanilla extract

½ C butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Have all the ingredients at room temp
3. Butter and flour a 13x9x2-inch pan.*(I used a pan that has its own travel lid.)
4. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt (the Drys)
5. Separately, combine vinegar, milk and vanilla (the Wets)
6. In a big, deep bowl beat together eggs, brown sugar and chocolate (3 minutes by hand – 1 minute with an electric Mixer)
7. Into the big, deep add the drys and half the wets.
8. Beat 3 minutes by hand and or 1 minute electric.
9. Add the rest of the wets and beat for another minute.
10. Pour into the prepared pan.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until it shrinks from the sides of the pan and tests done.
12. Cool completely and frost.

*or 2 8-inch layer cake pans

– Adapted from ‘3-Minute Fudge Cake’ in Nika Hazelton. From Nika Hazelton’s Kitchen. Viking Penguin. 1985. p. 298.

And don’t forget the candles – and some matches….

Happy Birthday!