Birthday Dinner

My husband celebrated his birthday, yesterday.

He requested meatloaf -

I used this Martha Stewart recipe of her mother's.

He also requests this cake, every year....

(can you tell I scanned this page - look how splattered this recipe is!  Quite the well-used recipe!)

It is Perfect Chocolate Cake from an old Southern Living publication.  They don't have the recipe online, but do have one that is a bit easier here.  (The icing and filling are the same, just a quicker cake recipe than I use).  Here is the one I use....

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE (Southern Living)

1 cup cocoa

2 cups boiling water

1 cup butter, softened

2-1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2-3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Whipped Cream Filling

Perfect Chocolate Frosting

Combine cocoa & boiling water, stirring until smooth; set aside. Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour & next 3 ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with cocoa mixture at low speech, beginning & ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into 3 greased/floured 9 round cakepans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until springy to a light touch. Cool in pans 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely. Spread Whipped Cream Filling between layers & Perfect Chocolate Frosting on top. Chill until serving time.

Whipped Cream Filling:

1 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream & vanilla until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Chill. Yield: 2 cups

Perfect Chocolate Frosting:

1 (6-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels

½ cup half & half

3/4 cup butter

2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, mixing well. Set saucepan in ice & beat at low speed until frosting holds its shape & loses its gloss. Add a few more drops half & half if needed to make spreading consistency. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.