Opal's Chocolate Cake
courtesy Jodi Adams former owner of Rivendell Restaurant (sadly closed) in San Marcos Texas

Lauren Nesbitt of Lauren's WIldflour Bakeray also makes this cake. http://laurenswildflourbakery.com/

Dry Ingredients:
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3 Cups Flour                    
3 Cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon


Mix together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, keeping the cocoa out. 

Wet Ingredients
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3/4 Cup Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla
4 Extra Large Eggs

Cocoa Mixture
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1 Cup Water
1 Cup Hershey's Dark Cocoa *


Heat water in a small sauce pan until almost boiling, adding cocoa until melted. Pour water/cocoa mixture into dry ingredients. Add sour cream and mix. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth.

Put batter into 9X13 cake pan and bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Cool cake completely before icing.


Chocolate Butter Cream Icing:
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1/3 c dark cocoa *
2 sticks butter
1/2 c whole milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 lb powdered sugar

Melt 2 sticks of Butter in a sauce pan. Stir in 1/3 cup dark cocoa. Pour mixture into larger mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup Whole Milk, 1 tsp Vanilla, and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon. Slowly incorporate up to one full pound of Powdered Sugar, bringing the icing to your preferred consistency.


James Notes:
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When you melt the cocoa into the water for the cake, it tends to turn into a ball of chocolate. I add another half cup or so more water. Even with that, it doesn't really blend well, so last time I added a 1/2 c more water to the batter. Then 5 of the smallest large egs.  
	NOTE: The recipe as written seems to be fine (even with 2 large eggs and 2 extra large) IF the flour isn't packed into the measuring cup, AND the water for the cocoa never boils.

Cooking time: Toothpicks always come out with batter after 35 minutes. I increase the time by 7 minutes and check. In total I added another 35 minutes. The last toothpick came out mostly clean
	NOTE: Nowhere does it say the toothpick should come out clean on the recipe. This was an assumjption on my part. It's supposed to be a little fudgy, so don't do this.

*Recipe calls for Hershey's dark cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark), The formulation of this was changed around 2018. Prior to this year it was (according to internet lore) a blend of Special Dark, and Hershey's original Cocoa. Starting in 2018, the Original Cocoa was left out. Moving forward to 2024, we had a very difficult time even finding special dark cocoa so we did some taste tests for alternatives. We tried:

	Methodology: 
		Made hot cocoa in the microwave. 1TB Cocoa, 2TB sugar, 1c milk. For mandy and Marshall the test was blind.
	Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa Dutch-Process: 
		This was our favorite, and what tasted the most like Hershey special dark cira 2024 (tested in 2025).
	Hershey Special Dark 2024: 
		This was our 2nd all around favorite
	Guittard Cocoa Rouge: 
		Third favorite. Did not taste at all like Hershey's to us. This may have been oversweetened a bit.
	HEB Organics Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali: 
		Last place in taste and as a match. 

Since I couldn't find Special Dark in 2025, I'll try the Giradelli mixed with standard Hershey and see how this does. The formula change in 2018 that I didn't know about may have been the reason the cake is over-rising.