This recipe is one of my favorites! In the late 70s during my Jr. & Sr. at UT Austin, I worked at Joske’s, an old department store in Highland Mall. Around Christmas time one year there was a bake sale in the center of the mall. One of the cakes they were selling was an 1886 Chocolate Cake baked in a loaf pan … it looked so tasty so I bought it. The extra prize for this purchase was that it came with a recipe.
This is that recipe and I have to say it is my favorite go to cake. I did adapt the recipe a bit in terms of how I mix ingredients for it to make it one of the easiest mixing cakes I’ve ever made. I like to combine the wet ingredients in glass microwaveable 4 cup measuring cups (the 4 cups is so everything fits). Then combine everything together with the dry ingredients. It makes everything so much easier and faster that way and cleanup afterwards is much simpler.
Have fun making this cake, sorry I don’t know who the original author of this recipe is, but a big THANK YOU! to them. It’s a great cake!
The icing for this cake is like fudge! I sometimes use pecans as the recipe indicates and at other times substitute walnuts. i haven’t tried any other nut but I suppose you can sub in any type you like when it’s covered with chocolate.
1886 Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 2 4-quart glass measuring cups (microwaveable) or heavy saucepan
- Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
- Baking pans
- Pam Cooking spray
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 cup water
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa
- 2 eggs beaten with a fork
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla the vanilla will make the soda foam it's okay
ICING
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 4 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa
- 1 pound box powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- dash of salt
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
- In a 3-quart mixing bowl, sift together, sugar, flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan or 4-cup glass microwaveable measuring cup melt butter, water, and cocoa together. Mix well.
- In a second heavy saucepan or 4-cup glass microwaveable measuring cup mix together, eggs, buttermilk, soda, and vanilla. Mix well and let cool
- When cooled, mix all wet ingredients together.
- In the mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients and beat until all ingredients are incorporated together.
- Pour mixture into a slightly-greased and floured pan or pans.
BAKING TIMES PER PAN SIZE
- 13 x 9-inch pan 25 – 30 minutes.
- 15 ½ x 10 ½ inch pan 15 to 20minutes.
- 2 – 9 inch layers 25 to 30 minutes.
ICING
- Make icing while the cake is baking. Ice while cake and icing are still warm. Note: 2-layer cakes should be cooled thoroughly before frosting. This icing is not recommended for 2- layer cakes.
- In a heavy saucepan melt butter with milk and cocoa.
- Add powdered sugar when incorporated add vanilla, chopped pecans, and salt.
- Mix well and pour over warm cake.
- Note: Cake freezes and ships well if well wrapped.