Mom's Chocolate Cake 

2 C. sugar

1 C. oil

2 eggs

1 C. sour milk (or buttermilk with a T. of lemon juice)

2 1/2 C. flour (all purpose or combination of all-purpose and cake flour)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. soda

1/3 C cocoa

1 C. boiling water

1 tsp vanilla 

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and sour milk
and beat hard. Sift cocoa, flour, salt and soda. Add to first mixture and beat. Add boiling water and vanilla. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min.

German Chocolate Filling

1 C. evaporated milk

3 egg yolks or 2 eggs  (3 yolks with be richer and creamier)

1/2 C. butter or margarine

1 C. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Cook and stir over medium low heat until thickened, about 12 min. Remove from heat and add 1 1/3 C. sweetened shredded coconut and 1 1/3 C. shopped walnuts or pecans. Be careful to heat eggs gradually and stir constantly. Cooking the eggs too quickly will ruin the texture.

Whipped Cream Frosting/ Filling

Add 2 T. or more of dry Instant Pudding as needed to whipping cream, along with sugar and vanilla to stiffen and stabilize cream enough to make a frosting. Use the flavor of pudding that you desire to enhance flavor of frosting. A tablespoon or so of other flavorings can be added as desired to make either filling or frosting, i.e. cocoa, crushed oreos, strawberry freezer jam along with cut fresh strawberries, fresh cut bananas, etc.

 For more stabilization of the cream, bakers use unflavored gelatin dissolved in a little water. Add while whipping. Not usually necessary as long as cake is refrigerated or eaten right away.

 If using fresh fruit, make sure that you are serving enough people that the cake will be eaten before bananas brown, within the day.

For a lighter version of cream cheese frosting or filling, add whipped cream with a tablespoon or so of instant pudding, cheesecake flavor, to your regular cream cheese frosting or filling recipe.

Chocolate Panna Cotta layer                          Vanilla Panna Cotta Layer

                                                         

1 T. unflavored gelatin                                        2 T. unflavored gelatin

6 oz. good quality dark chocolate chopped         2 T. honey

2 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream                           2 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream     

1/4 C. sugar                                                          2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract                                              1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt                                                           pinch of salt

Sprinkle gelatin over cool cream in a sauce pan to soften for approximately 10 minutes before turning on the heat. Then, Gently heat cream with sugar til sugar dissolves. Add chocolate and vanilla extract til melted and well combined, then add gelatin mixture.  Make sure everything is well mixed.  A hand blender is good to use to make sure all ingredients are well blended.  Pour mixture into a cake layer pan. Silicone pan would be easiest to use for removing the panna cotta from the pan. If using a regular cake pan, spray with a light coat of oil and use parchment paper to line the pan. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight until firm.