Babs Chocolate Birthday Cake With Buttercream Icing

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup boiling water, with
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Recipe

• 1 for cake: put oven on to 350°f grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
• 2 in a large bowl, mix together first five (dry) ingredients. make well in bowl for wet ingredients.
• 3 in a separate medium bowl, mix together oil, milk and eggs. pour into the well in dry ingredients.
• 4 as you begin to beat the batter, add the cup of hot coffee. beat until well mixed then for two minutes on high.
• 5 pour into prepared pans. bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick placed in center comes out dry.
• 6 cool for 10 minutes. remove from pans and continue to cool on racks until completely cooled. finish by icing with buttercream that follows:.
• 7 for icing: cream butter and shortening with mixer. add vanilla extract.
• 8 gradually add confectioners' sugar while continually beating with mixer. icing will seem dry.
• 9 add milk continually, mixing and scraping sides of bowl, until icing appears light and right consistency for icing cake.
• 10 cover until you are ready to icing. may be stored in refrigerator for 2 weeks if not used completely.
• 11 makes about 3 cups.