Stir 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 cup sugar. Add 1/2 cup of milk…
…2 eggs…
… and 1/3 cup shortening. Mix on No. 4 speed of mixer (low) for 2 minutes. Scrape sides often.
Here is the rub! “Add 2 squares of unsweetened melted chocolate.”
What is 2 squares, exactly?! It did not say too bars of chocolate but two squares. I figured, maybe they were referring to ounces? What else could it be? So that is what I did. I added 2 ounces of cooled melted chocolate and added 1/4 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
I knew I was in trouble when I looked at the batter in this greased and floured 9″ square pan. But I baked it in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes (directions say 35-45 but mine was definitely done).
Yes, that absolutely does not look fudgy to me! It looked more like banana bread actually.
Foodie Results
Not chocolate cake. Not even a little! Something was definitely lost in the translation but! It still was a moist and delicious VANILLA cake. As disasters go, this was still way more than just edible. Yummy even.
Fear not! I did add chocolate to the equation. Coming next…
My guess would be that the recipe was referring to the Bakers Chocolate brand (which was probably all that bakers could buy in those days). I know it still comes in large squares. But you’re right — a weight or size equivalence should have been given!
I figured it was something like that Debra! I thought it might be referring to whole bars of chocolate but man, I had no idea, was totally baking in the dark. I’m amazed at how delicious the recipe was even still.
HI Suzie, Debra is right it was referring to Bakers Chocolate. It is still widely available in Canada (Safeway, Sobey’s, IGA etc) it is in the baking aisle in box about the size of a chocolate bar but about 1 1/4″ thick.
Make sure you get the unsweetened variety as it comes in many styles now. 1 square = 1 ounce, you were right! 🙂 Unsweetened = 100% dark chocolate.
I remember this stuff from childhood on – we got chocolate baking seldomly and I rememeber each square wrapped in paper in the box and it had quite the ‘bloom’ by the time it was used up! LoL
I also LOVE old church cookbooks – sold as fundraisers from 1920’s forward. They had ‘no fail’ recipes and ‘bachelor’ cooking tips and so forth. A lot of great ones came from your current neck of the woods.
Good luck with the next one!
Huh! I would have been very confused by that as well!!!
Nice that it was still yummy!
I admit I only nknew about it cause I grew up with it in the house. I also remember deciding that chocolate is chocolate and stealing a square to eat. Oh…..my….god it was aweful! LoL
You don’t forget after an experience like that. 🙂
After you added the bakers chocolate,you said to add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 milk. 1/4 tsp, 1/4 cup,exactly what?
Thanks for verifying the correct measurement.
After you added the bakers chocolate,you said to add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 milk. 1/4 tsp, 1/4 cup,exactly what?
Thanks for verifying the correct measurement.
Our Lives Intertwined, sorry, that was supposed to be 1/4 cup of milk! Thanks for pointing that out. Must have been extra zonked that day.
Our Lives Intertwined, sorry, that was supposed to be 1/4 cup of milk! Thanks for pointing that out. Must have been extra zonked that day.