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: ---------------- 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 --------------- 3/4 Cup Sour Cream 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla 4 Extra Large Eggs Cocoa Mixture ------------- 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: ----------------------------- 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: ------------ 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.