Beginners Chocolate Cake

My oldest daughter loves to bake. I have no idea where she gets that from. But she's decided that having dear old mom in the kitchen with her to help out is a major pain. This usually results in a cringe inducing mess for me. This time, however, she kept the mess to a minimum and at the same time produced a cake none of us could stop eating. That's my girl!

Beginner's Chocolate Cake

Cake:

2 rounded Tablespoons cocoa

4 Tablespoons hot water

1 cup soft margarine

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups self rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:

8 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, add hot water to cocoa. Stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder. Add cocoa mixture and stir. Pour even amount of batter into each cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until they rise. Cool on wire rack.

For the frosting, melt chocolate in a bowl that is over a pan of hot water. Cut up butter and place in bowl with chocolate. Mix until blended. Remove from hot water.

Remove one cake from pan. Place on plate and frost the top. Add the other cake and frost top and sides of cake. Decorate as desired.

Adapted from Usborne Cooking School Cakes & Cookies for Beginners

"A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self."

-Author Unknown