Chocolate Cake With Buttercream Frosting and Huckleberry Filling

Dessert includes chocolate cake with wild huckleberry filling. “I only cook from scratch; it is all I know. My friends tease me terribly because everything is out of a box for them, but for me, I cook old-fashioned; I guess I am old-fashioned,” laughs Goode. | Photo by Jeremiah and Rachel Spray Photography

Chocolate Cake With Buttercream Frosting and Huckleberry Filling

Time: 30-35 minutes

Cake

INGREDIENTS
Cream together:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

Sift:

• 2 ½ cup cake flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cake pan. I used an 8” round pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly, add flour mixture to creamed mixture until combined. Add in 1 cup of buttermilk and mix well. Finally, add 1 cup of boiling water to the bowl and mix on medium high until batter is light. Pour batter into a prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 30-35 minutes for a 8” layer, a rectangle cake pan will take 35-45 minutes).

To make the optional huckleberry filling, pour about two cups of huckleberries (or any berries- raspberries would be delicious as well) into a small saucepan pan along with a little water, maybe 1/2 cup sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the contents thicken; be careful not to let it burn. Let the filling cool completely.

To assemble the layered cake: let pans cool 15 minutes on a wire rack before un-molding. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or paring knife, and invert onto wire racks or a piece of parchment on your counter top. To prevent the layers from splitting, invert again so that the tops are up. Cool completely before assembling cake. I place layers in the freezer for a little bit to make them less likely to break when trimming. If cakes are not level, use a serrated knife to trim tops off. Carefully slice each cake horizontally into two equal layers. (You will have four layers.)

Place one sliced layer on an 8-inch cardboard cake round. Spread the top with 1/8 inch of huckleberry filling and then about the same amount of buttercream frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and remaining frosting, placing the final layer bottom side up. Lightly coat the assembled cake with a thin layer of white frosting to protect against crumbs in the frosting. Finish with remaining frosting. Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Frosting

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Mix all ingredients together until smooth & creamy

As seen in Christmas Eve at the McDonald Ranch.