My mom has subscribed to Southern Living Magazine for years and for years she’s gotten a Southern Living Cookbook sent to her from the company. I happen to love these cookbooks because they have great recipes in them that are easy to follow. We get them usually in December and they have the recipes that were in the magazines through that particular year.

My favorite cookbook by Southern Living is from 1970 (many years before my birth…LOL) and it’s covered in stains because of the uses it’s gotten. I use it especially for the Four Egg Rich Cake in it. This is the best cake that I have ever made! It’s a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and my family has dubbed it the Keith Chocolate Cake because my step-dad and his family call it a chocolate cake because of the frosting. I, however, have not used the chocolate frosting recipe in the book. I make it with a recipe that came from a Hershey pamphlet that we have had forever it seems. I’m including the recipe in this post for everyone to enjoy. On a side note, I have never used the Easy Chocolate Frosting, so I cannot recommend it even though I am including it. I will include the recipe for the frosting that I use for this cake or you are more than welcome to use the frosting of your choice.

From the Southern Living Our Best Recipes Cookbook:

Four-Egg-Rich Cake

1 cup butter

1  1/2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

2 cups flour (I use self rising and omit the baking powder and salt)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup light cream (I use half & half)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg whites, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugar and add 1 unbeaten egg yolk at a time. Mix well; combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to creamed mixture alternately with the cream and vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in two greased 8- or 9-inch cakepans at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Frost with Easy Chocolate Frosting (or frosting of your choice)

Easy Chocolate Frosting

1 stick butter or margarine

1/3 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter slowly in heavy saucepan. Add other ingredients except vanilla and boil 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cool. Beat to spreading consistency and spread between layers and on top of cake.

This is the recipe I use for frosting from Hershey’s. I use the dark flavor and make 2 cups measurements, but I’m including the other flavor levels and the 1 cup measurements. I also use milk instead of water, but that’s up to you.

Butter Cream Chocolate Frosting

To Make:

Hershey’s Cocoa 1 cup: 2 cups:

Light Flavor 2 Tbsp. 1/4 cup

Medium Flavor 1/4 cup 1/2 cup

Dark Flavor 1/3 cup   3/4 cup

Confectioners’ Sugar   1 cup 2 3/4 cups

Butter or Margarine 3 Tbsp. 6 Tbsp.

Milk or water 2 Tbsp. 4-5 Tbsp.

Vanilla 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp.

Assemble ingredients

Combine amount of cocoa for flavor you prefer with confectioners’ sugar; set aside

Cream butter or margarine with 1/2 cup of cocoa mixture in small bowl.

Add remaining cocoa mixture alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency; blend in vanilla.