LIGHTER THAN AIR CHOCOLATE CAKE (Modified from a recipe on the side of the Softasilk cake flour box) This is the lightest, moistest and most wonderful chocolate cake recipe I've ever found. I call it "the recipe Duncan Hines always wanted to find." (For those of you too young to remember, they had a TV commercial with a slogan that went something like "Duncan Hines' rises so high!".) Not only that -- it is easy to make! 2 cups cake flour (not "all purpose" flour) [I've always used Softasilk] 1-1/2 cups sugar 2/3 cup cocoa [I've always used Hershey's] 1-1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1-1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup shortening [I've always used regular Crisco] 2 eggs [I typically use large or extra large] 1 teaspoon vanilla [I've always used McCormick or Schillings] Grease the bottom and sides of two 9 x 1-1/2" round cake pans. Cut out two pieces of wax paper that exactly fit the bottom of the pans, place them firmly in the pans and then grease and flour the wax paper and sides. (If you have teflon no-stick pans you may not need to perform this step, but our pans are the old-fashioned, regular kind -- doing things this way guarantees that the cakes will come out of the pans). Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer at low speed for about 30 seconds, until all the dry ingredients are incorporated (so that when you switch to high speed they don't fly all over the place). Beat at high speed for about three minutes, stopping now and then to scrap down the bowl. Divide evenly between the two pans and place in a pre-heated 350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, testing with a toothpick to make sure the cakes are done (it should come out clean) [how long it actually will take depends on your individual oven]. Remove from oven when done and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes or longer. Remove from pans by running a knife around edge (and under the wax paper a little if you have a curved grapefruit knife) and let cool completely (and then peel off the wax paper). Frost the cake with your favorite icing. Get a lot of praise.... EASY LIGHT COCOA FROSTING Here is a light, not too rich, chocolate icing with which I often ice the above cake. Despite the butter, without any eggs, it isn't that heavy and rich. It, like the cake, is easy to make, which is good if you are making it with children. 6 Tbl. butter, softened to room temperature 2-2/3 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar 1/3 cup cocoa (I use Hershey's) [using 1/2 cup makes for a darker frosting] 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla Cream butter with sugar and cocoa (starting the mixer at a very slow speed so as to not send sugar and cocoa everywhere). Beat in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the milk. This is the only tricky part, since to get the right consistency sometimes you need a little less than 1/2 cup milk and sometimes you need a little more. The frosting won't be thick at this point, which makes it harder to judge. It hardens as it dries on the cake. It should be spreadable, but not runny. Ice the cake by putting a thin layer of frosting between the two layers of the cake. Then put a thin layer of frosting on the top. With any remaining frosting ice the sides; unless you had a light hand between the layers and on top you might not have enough to go all the way around, since this frosting recipe makes just barely enough to ice this two layer cake. Tip: put the nice crusty side of one layer down and the crusty side of the other layer up, with the two very flat and non-crusty sides facing each other in the middle of the cake. This works well for a number of reasons: if the cake doesn't come out of the pans all that well, the messy patch is hidden in the middle, and the nicely rounded crusty side on top ices well and looks nice.