I made this cake, originally planning to finish it with fondant icing - but I chickened out. It was going to need 8 lbs of icing sugar, which sounded a little too intense for me. I went for the easy route and just made buttercream icing.

Chocolate Grooms Cake

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture. Beat thoroughly. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat thoroughly.

Pour batter into 2 greased 8-9' pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center.



Buttercream Icing


1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp clear vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.


YIELD: 3 cups


For me, one batch of icing was enough to put between the layers and to do a crumb layer on the cake. I made another batch and used half to do a finished layer on the cake, and coloured the other half for the decorations. I had some coloured icing left over.