Well, there we were. It was Friday, and we were planning the menu for the weekend. I had volunteered to take on the responsibility of finding a good recipe and making it for Sunday dessert after the potluck with our church people. We had a very busy week, and still had other things to do, so I needed to find a recipe that would be fast and easy, and of course, yummy. I asked around if anyone had any ideas or anything in particular that just sounded really good. One said brownies, and one didn’t care, and I’m not sure what everyone else said. So I opened our cookbook cabinet and found one of our favorite cookbooks – Best-Loved Chocolate Classics put out by Taste of Home. The best part about it was that it was easy to do, and I was able to make it a couple days in advance. We served it, and almost all of it was devoured. It makes a rich, chocolate, cake with a heavier consistency than that of a cake mix.

Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

2/3 cup oil

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup cold milk

1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 (8 oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients. Add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into a greased 13”x9”x2” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, beat the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Beat in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Editor’s note: This cake does not contain eggs.