Grandpa's Birthday Cake

Grandma New's recipe for Grandpa's favorite chocolate cake.

Ingredients

Cake
3	squares Chocolate
3/8 C	shortening (6 T)
3/4 C	boiling water
1 1/2 C	sugar
3/8 C	sour milk (6 T)
1 3/8 C	flour
3/4 t	soda
3/8 t	salt
2	small eggs
Chocolate Filling
1	Egg Yolk
1/2 C	sugar
1/8 t	salt
2 T	flour
1 C	milk
1	square chocolate
DOUBLE BOILER ICING
1	large egg white
3/4 C	sugar
1/8 t	cream of tartar
3 T	water
1/2 t	vanilla

Preparation

Directions for Cake:

1. Place chocolate (cut in small pieces) and shortening in mixing bowl, and pour the boiling water over them. 
2. Stir to dissolve completely. 
3. Then stir in sugar and sour milk. 
4. Sift flour once before measuring. 
5. Sift flour, soda and salt together and add all at once to mixture in the mixing bowl. 
6. Stir just enough to blend the ingredients.
7. Add a whole egg to the mixture, and beat the mixture with a spoon until smooth (beat 1 to 2 minutes). 
8. Pour into well-greased and floured layer cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
9. When cool, spread the cooled chocolate filling thickly between the layers and the double boiler icing over the top and sides of cake.

Directions for Chocolate Filling:

1. Place egg yolk in top of double boiler. 
2. Beat slightly. 
3. Mix sugar, salt and flour together. 
4. Blend with egg yolk. 
5. Blend in the milk. 
6. Stir in chocolate (cut in small pices). 
7. Cook over hot water 20 minutes, stirring constantly till thick and then only occasionally. 
8. Cool.

Directions for Double Boiler Icing:

1. Combine egg white, sugar, cream of tartar and water in top of double boiler. 
2. Beat together just enough to blend ingredients. 
3. Place over rapidly boiling water and beat with a rotary egg beater until the mixture is white and very light. 
4. The icing is done when it barely holds its shape and is not runny when eggbeater is pulled out. 
5. This takes approx. 5 - 7 minutes. 
6. Then remove from hot water, and stop beating. 
7. Fold in the flavoring.