Hoosier Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting (GF)

This Hoosier Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting is a luscious old-fashioned dessert that everyone will love. The chocolate of the cake is enhanced with coffee, giving it more intense flavor. And the fluffy vanilla frosting is the perfect counterpoint. Based on a classic midwestern favorite, this is a dessert that you can make for birthdays, picnics or potlucks.

Awhile back spent a week in Ohio, learning about the Amish people and exploring the beautiful countryside. Being back in the Midwest felt like I was going home. My folks were both from Indiana and people from the Midwest always remind me of my family. Friendly, welcoming, funny, strong, opinionated, and compassionate … I love the Midwest!

Being there brought back memories of my childhood trips to visit our grandparents and extended family in Indiana. We always traveled during the summer vacation from school when the weather was hot and steamy. I learned to love the balmy evenings when we chased fireflies and watched thunderstorms light up the night skies.

The Midwest is very different from California where I grew up – and I relish the differences. The pace of life is slower, the people nicer, and there is incredible value placed on family heritage. I love that I am called ma’am and that young men rush to open doors for me. 

There is an honesty and friendliness unique to Midwesterners that I am naturally drawn to. I am often called “down to earth” and this is because of my upbringing. I was taught that no one was better than me, and I was no better than anyone else. Equality in everything was a strong message in my life.

When you sit down to dinner, stories are told around the dinner table just like we did in our family and I always have tears running down my face from laughing so hard. The last time I visited with my aunt and uncle I discovered that my great-grandfather was a notorious moonshiner. His house was built on the creek where he had an ample supply of fresh water. There was a trick wall in his house that hid the still when the revenuers came to call. Don’t you love the stories that come with studying your family genealogy!

In honor of my Indiana roots, today’s recipe is Hoosier Chocolate Cake, a sweet chocolate cake common in the Midwest. The term Hoosier, though initially considered a negative term of sorts, has become a friendly label embraced by the wonderful people of Indiana. It is traditionally paired with a “Gravy” Icing which gets its name from the technique of cooking milk and flour together before whipping it into a frosting. Beating the frosting for a long time makes it extremely light and billowy. Today I chose a whipped vanilla buttercream which I love but you can use your favorite frosting. Anything goes!

I like the combination of a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting because I think it makes them both stand out more. Sometimes when you have a rich chocolate cake with intense chocolate frosting, it can be a bit overwhelming. I think this cake is perfectly balanced. You can make a chocolate buttermilk frosting if you prefer.

You can bake this in a rectangle pan, divide  into two layers, or turn it into cupcakes. The frosting is easy to work with and would be a good one to let new bakers or children practice their frosting skills with. It stays soft and pliable a long time, allowing them time to go slowly and correct any mistakes they make. If you are going to be piping cupcakes or putting a lot of decorations on your cake, you probably want to double the frosting recipe to be sure you have plenty to work with.

You can leave the frosting white or tint it with gel food coloring. The cake can be left plain, frosted and sprinkled with chocolate shavings or chocolate jimmies, drizzled with caramel sauce, or even topped with crumbled Oreo cookies if you want. Today I chose rainbow sprinkles for a festive look. 

The cake recipe comes from one of my most cherished cookbooks, Lost Recipes by Marion Cunningham. If you don’t know Marion’s name, you might recognize the Fanny Farmer Cookbook … Marion rewrote the original book, updating the terms, techniques, and ingredients for today’s environment, and adding 325 recipes of her own.

Marion is a hero of mine. She started out as an ordinary home cook just like everyone else in the country, and then with a stroke of good luck, she met James Beard. They instantly connected, sharing their passion for food and cooking. She worked with him for 11 years, assisting him as he taught cooking classes across the country. He was the one who recommended her to the publishers of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, suggesting she would be the perfect person to edit it.

Marion was an award-winning author, acclaimed columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, and her television series “Cunningham & Company” aired over 70 episodes on the Food Network. The author and editor of many cookbooks, such as The Fanny Farmer Baking Book, Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham, and today’s sample from Lost Recipes, Marion was truly one of a kind.

I was lucky to meet Marion and had a chance to speak with her before she passed away. I had an idea for a cookbook that I wanted to write and she couldn’t have been more supportive, lovely, and gracious. She signed her cookbook and included her home phone number telling me to call her whenever I wanted any advice or help. That day was the beginning of what is now The Heritage Cook!

I really hope you make this beautiful Hoosier Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting. Your kids can help you make it – especially the fun of frosting and decorating the cake! It will satisfy all your chocolate cravings and put a smile on your face. Your family and friends will be asking for seconds, it is hard to resist!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

 

Ingredients needed for Hoosier Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting:

• Cake: sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, natural cocoa powder, water, flour, coffee, baking soda, and vanilla
• Frosting: unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, heavy cream and vanilla

 

PRO Tip:

Do not use Dutched or “Dark” cocoa powder for this cake. The leavener, baking soda only plays well with natural cocoa. If you use Dutched cocoa you run the risk of the cake tasting soapy. I usually use Hershey’s regular cocoa.

 

PRO Tip:

If you are using a hand mixer, you will have to beat the batter longer at each stage because it isn’t as powerful as a stand mixer.

 

How to make Hoosier Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting:

1. Cake: Beat together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter until smooth. Add the eggs and beat 2 minutes until smooth, creamy, and lightened in color.
2. In a bowl, mix together the cocoa with the boiling water, stirring until it forms a thick, creamy paste. Scoop the chocolate mixture into the butter/sugar and beat until blended. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add it to the batter half at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the coffee and vanilla and slowly beat until the batter is smooth and creamy.
3. Pour the thin batter into buttered and floured round or rectangular pan(s) and bake at 350°F (180°C). The 8-inch (20 cm) pans will take 25 to 30 minutes, the 9-inch (23 cm) pans will take about 20 minutes, and a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) will take 28 to 30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
4. Transfer the cake pan(s) to a wire rack to cool; after 5 minutes turn the round layers out of the pans and top up on the wire rack. Leave the 9×13 (23×33) in the pan. Cool completely.
5. Frosting: Beat the butter until smooth, then mix in the sugar until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy (it will turn white), about 4 minutes.
6. If making a layer cake, set one of the layers round side down on a serving plate, cover with a layer of the frosting, top with the second layer, round side up and frost the whole cake. If using a rectangular pan, frost and decorate the cake in the pan. Slice and serve.

 

PRO Tip:

If you want the neatest slices, line your 9×13-inch (22×23 cm) with a sheet of parchment, leaving two opposite ends hanging over the edge of the pan. You will use the parchment sling to lift the cooled  cake out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Then you can use a knife to cut beautiful slices.  

 

PRO Tip:

For the cleanest slices, always use a hot knife and cut two slices at once before trying to remove the first one. They will release a whole lot easier. Also, if chilled, leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to warm up and soften the frosting before slicing and passing servings.

 

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan
• 8-inch (20 cm) round baking pans
• 9-inch (23 cm) round baking pans
• Spatula

 

Gluten-Free Tips:

* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

 

 

 

Create a New Tradition Today!

 

Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. The author makes no claims regarding the presence of food allergens and disclaims all liability in connection with the use of this site. This post was first shared in March 2012. The article was updated in 2024.