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Family Cookbook
recipes
Nut Tree Chocolate Cake
always the favorite dessert at the Nut Tree... When Gram turned 90 I spent days tracking down the old recipe to make it for her surprise dinner. She had it every time we stopped at the Nut Tree

Required Ingredients

¾Cupsoft butter
½Cupground Ghiradelli's chocolate
1 ½Cupsugar
eggs, separated
2 ¼Cupsifted cake flour
Teaspoonbaking powder
Cupice water
Frosting:
egg whites
1 ½Cuppowdered sugar
¾Cupsoftened butter
Cupground Ghiradelli's chocolate
2 ½Tablespoonflour

Preparation Instructions

  1. Beat ground chocolate into butter and then gradually beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time. When fluffy and lighter in color beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time.
  2. Sift the flour with the baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with ice water, a small amount of each at a time, beating smooth with a spoon after each addition. (Note: if using cocoa instead of Ghiradelli's chocolate add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)
  3. Beat egg whites stiff and fold in.
  4. Bake in 2 paper-lined round 9-inch cake pans at 300 deg (slow) 30 to 35 minutes, util a crumb is left on end of toothpick inserted in center of cake. Let stand in pans a few minutes, then turn out and cool on rack.
  5. Frosting: Beat egg whites until almost stiff; beat in 3/4 cup powdered sugar and set aside. Stir the other 3/4 cup powdered sugar, the ground chocolate, and the flour into soft butter. Add the beaten, sweetened egg whites and mix until well blended. Spread on cooled cake.