Birthday Celebrations

I’ve had a bit of a blogging lapse lately. Vacation knocked off one week of blogs, and the vacation recovery seems to be affecting this past week. Who knew it could be so exhausting to relax? Please forgive my lapse. I promise to get back at it.

Today marks the birthdays of two very important people in my life. First off, it’s my mom’s 82nd birthday! You would never guess she’s 82. In fact, when I called her this morning she was on her way out the door for her weekly golf game. (She lives in California.) I’ll probably never play golf but I hope to be just as active by the time I reach 82, or even 62 for that matter.

Next on the list of important birthdays is that of my husband. He’s 59! (I’m much younger, should you be trying to guess my age.) I told my mother this morning that it makes me feel rather old to be married to a man who is approaching 60. She said that having a child who is 55 (again, not me) is worse. I’m sure! I hated to remind her that my brother is actually 56 (hope he doesn’t read this and find out I’m disclosing his age!)

So, our discussion at bedtime last night was all about the birthday cake. I asked my dear, sweet husband what he’d like for his celebration. “Well,” he said, “if you’re making it for me, I like chocolate cake. Maybe you could throw in some chocolate morsels. Then, put on some white frosting. If it has marshmallows in it, that would be nice.” I wasn’t expecting quite such a specific response.

This morning I made my way through my recipe file in search of my recipe for Triple Chocolate Cake. My recipe file is in a bit of a jumble so it took quite a bit of patience as I made my way past Broccoli Salad, Pfeffern?sse, Cranberry Cupcakes, Bran Muffins, and the like. I was nearing the back of the recipe box and was about to give up when the Triple Chocolate Cake recipe showed up. I thought since I went to so much effort to find this recipe that I’d share it with my blog readers. It really is quite good, and I plan to top it with Betty Crocker’s 7-minute frosting (which tastes almost like marshmallows – only better.) Technically, chocolate frosting is the third part of the “triple” but it won’t really matter. It’ll be yummy, and it’s a small sacrifice for my wonderful husband on his birthday.

Triple Chocolate Cake
3 eggs
¾ C. buttermilk or sour cream or combo of the two
1 C. water
1 C. butter or margarine (no wonder it tastes so good!)
¼ C. unsweetened cocoa
2. C. flour
2 C. sugar
½ t. salt
1 t. baking soda
6 oz. package of chocolate chips (1 C.)

Combine eggs and buttermilk in small bowl; beat lightly. Combine water, butter, cocoa in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and soda in large bowl. Stir – mixing well. Beat in buttermilk mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (A tip from my friend, Martha – shake them in some flour first to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.) Gradually add hot cocoa mixture and beat just until blended. Bake in 9” x 13” pan at 350° for 40 – 50 minutes.

Enjoy!