Mammaw's Chocolate One-Layer Cake

This was Cynthia's signature dessert.  She got the recipe from her mother.  Anytime she needed to bring a dish, she always volunteered to bring her cake.  And even though, we would have pies galore on  Thanksgiving and Christmas, she always wanted to make this cake.  "John will be expecting it" was always her excuse.  As time went on, she would let me help.  When she didn't have enough strength to beat the powdered sugar into the icing, she would make the cake and then ask me to beat the icing as she added the sugar.  It was probably the first of her recipes that she let me help with..

Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine
4 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine sugar and flour.  In a saucepan combine, margarine, cocoa, shortening, and water and bring to a boil.  Pour over flour and sugar mixture.  With mixer on low speed, add eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and baking soda.  Pour into a greased and floured 9"x13" pan.  Bake 20-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.


Hint:  We never had buttermilk around, so we made buttermilk by adding 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup and filling with whole milk.  Let stand for five minutes before using.


Icing
1 cup margarine
4 tbsp cocoa
6 tbsp milk
1 lb powdered sugar
 1/2 cup chopped pecans

You will ice this cake while it is hot.  While cake is cooking, in a saucepan combine margarine, milk, and cocoa and melt the margarine.  When cake is complete, bring this mixture to a rolling boil and add powdered sugar and chopped pecans if used stirring constantly with a whip.  Once the icing begins to loose its luster, pour over the hot cake and spread.  It might take a couple of times to know when to stop adding sugar as the measurement is only approximate.  But don't worry, if you get too much sugar, add a few drops of milk to thin in down a bit.