Auntie Carmella's Chocolate Cake

Cold milk and chocolate cake!

Of all my relatives, this is my only "Auntie".  I have lots of aunts mind you, but we always call this one Auntie Carmella DeSalvo.  She was actually my Dad's Aunt, she was his mother's sister.  I am desperately trying to make the old family recipes, and this one has been bugging me.  So when Scott said he had no cake preference for his birthday, I know Auntie Carmella would come in handy!  I suspect the recipe card is written in my mom's handwriting, and it is quite old.  I wouldn't guess chocolate cake was something my Italian relatives had in their lineage of recipes, but my mom said she remembers the day they had this cake, and Auntie Carmella said it was probably the best she could ever make.  My mom must have liked it enough to copy the recipe.

A surprise for her dad!  And yep, no birthday candles....

I have made other amazing cakes, and the most impressive was on a day we had a blizzard.  I just love the pictures.  A snow like this is so rare, go take a peek at the Snowstorm Mile High Birthday Cake!  The issue with Carmella's cake was that I had never had it, nor seen it, so I had to make it my own way.  It was pretty straight forward, and the buttermilk gives it a very tender crumb.  Her frosting recipe is similar to the one I made, but she had a raw egg in hers.  Now I can eat raw whites any day, but the whole egg didn't sound right.  My frosting was delicious.  I hate cream cheese frosting, but the addition of chocolate meant you couldn't taste any cream cheese.  Works for me!

Auntie Carmella's Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/12 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Impromptu double boiler

Melt chocolate and set aside.  Cream butter until fluffy, and gradually add sugar and beat until light.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs until fluffy and then beat into creamed mixture, and add chocolate.  Stir in dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.  Don't overbeat.  Bake 30-35 minutes at 350º for 2 layers.

4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup powdered sugar
1 package cream cheese
6 T butter

Have ingredients at room temperature.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Set aside to cool.  Whip the butter and cream cheese well.  Add a pinch of salt, and then add the confectioner's sugar and chocolate.  I added more confectioner's sugar to make a bit more frosting, and thinned it with a little milk as needed to get it to spreading consistency.  Spread on cooled layers, and decorate as you please.  We just dusted it with  a few sprinkles.  Happy Birthday!  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!