Mud Cake and Fudge Frosting: Mom’s Magical Birthday Recipe
I’m another year older. But who’s counting? Not me. I’m celebrating! Birthdays are kind of a big deal in our family. It started last week with the arrival of my first card, with a message that took me back to a birthday book from my childhood, A Birthday is a Magic Day!
Boy, is it ever! As a little girl, I truly believed that, because my mom made me feel extra special from the moment I woke up. Sparkly packages greeted me even before breakfast, along with a simple paper birthday crown. She took great care in party planning and always made a scrumptious homemade cake, which was usually chocolate with fudge frosting.
My magic wand is getting a little rusty these days, but I’ve still got the power to wave it.
So, let’s eat cake and celebrate! I’ll have mine with ice cream, please. Oh, and about that crown.. who doesn’t want to be queen for a day…well, maybe a little longer
Mom teamed up with Betty Crocker to create this magical birthday recipe.
Mom’s Mud Cake Recipe
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes and cool on wire rack (leave cake in pan for serving)
Sift and mix: (right inside of a 9 X 13 cake pan for easy clean-up!)
*Don’t have a sifter? Use a whisk to mix dry ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tsp soda
1tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
Stir in:
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp vinegar
2/3 cup oil
Pour 2 cups boiling water on top and mix all well with a wooden spoon in a 9 X 13 cake pan
Fudge Frosting Ingredients: *Fudge Frosting (from Betty Crocker’s Boys and Girls Cookbook)
Mix in saucepan:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
Stir in:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
Bring to boiling. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Set pan in cold water. When you can hold your hand on the bottom of the pan, the syrup is cool enough.
Stir in:
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Stir frosting until thick enough to spread, add more sugar as needed, or milk to thin it out.
Zabelicious Trivia:
My mom finally told me the origin of her famous mud cake recipe goes back to her childhood. As a Campfire Girl, she was assigned to perfect this recipe in order to earn her cooking badge. It was an ideal treat to make at camp, since it was mixed all in one pan, and doesn’t require eggs. I’d say she surpassed their expectations. Way to go, Mom!
Founded in 1910 on a lake in Maine, Camp Fire, as it was renamed after it became co-ed in 1975, is now headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Learn more about Camp Fire and find free fun activities families can do safely from home during quarantine.
