This depression era chocolate cake uses no butter, eggs, or dairy yet produces a deliciously moist, tender cake.
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups water
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with chocolate pan coat and lining the bottom with parchment paper (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Add wet ingredients and stir together until ingredients are fully combined. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out nearly clean. Let cool until the pan is comfortable enough to handle, then use a thin spatula to release the sides of the cake. Transfer the cake to a wire rack in two steps: first, turn the cake up on its side, then invert fully. (If using two-piece pan, invert the entire cake without separating the pieces). Let cool completely.
Chocolate Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk, plus a little more
Beat sugar, cocoa powder, and 1/3 cup milk with an electric mixer. Add more liquid, one spoonful at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. For thicker icing, add more powdered sugar; for thinner icing, add more liquid gradually. Slowly pour over cooled cake.