Recipe(tried): Quick and Easy Fudgey Brownies, My Mom's Chocolate Cake with Soured Milk, and My Mom's Frosting

Hi Jill :-) Wow! You have a lot of bitter chocolate!! Remember that chocolate keeps a very long time tightly wrapped in a cool environment. Here are two recipes that I have tried. Both are good.

Quick and Easy Fudgey Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened (bitter) chocolate, broken into pieces
3/4 c. butter or margarine
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan. In a large microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate and butter. Microwave at High power 1 1/2 to 2 min or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts, if desired; stir until well blended. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 28 to 35 min or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out ALMOST clean. (Usually when brownies have started to pull away from the edges of the pan, they are done). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares when completely cool. Makes about 24 brownies.

Chocolate Cake with Soured Milk

1/4 lb. butter
2 squares (1 oz. each) bitter (unsweetened) chocolate such as Hershey's
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk soured with 1 tsp. vinegar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt

Add the 1 tsp. vinegar to the milk. Set aside.

Shave chocolate. Place in a bowl with butter. Pour boiling water over the chocolate and butter to melt. Stir until melted. (These days, I usually microwave the butter and chocolate about 1 minute at high power to melt them. I do still add hot water after I microwave them). Add the sugar and mix well. Add the soured milk and mix well. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Then add the flour, soda and salt. Mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured 11 X 7 X 2 inch* pan that has been greased. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

*Note: An 11 X 7 X 2 inch pan is smaller than the usual 9 X 13 X 2 inch cake pan. This cake makes an excellent sheet cake as well. Just double the recipe and spread in a greased and floured 11 X 15 X 1-inch jelly roll pan, similar to a cookie sheet.

This cake is very "tender" and moist. It is best served right in or from the pan. It will likely fall apart and crumble if you try to make it as a layer cake.

My Mom's Frosting for this cake:

About 3/4 of a 1 lb. box of confectioner's (powdered) sugar
3 heaping Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (or more if you want it more chocolatey)
4 or 5 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 to 3 Tbsp. water
Pinch of salt

Cream the butter, powdered sugar, salt and cocoa together. Add the water - start with 2 Tbsp., and mix, then add more water, a tsp. at a time, until frosting is of desired spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cake. For white frosting, omit the cocoa.

I love this recipe because it is very simple and easy, and always good.