I definatly Love this recipe Nell Thank You. For the Persons having trouble with this cake... First off, her measurements in this recipe is to the Science no adjustments with the amounts. First the batter- you should put 3/4 cup of batter per 8 inch pan; I assume she made a type-O. Next the frosting; before you begin you should understand the meaning of a ROLLING BOIL. A rolling boil is when all liquid is bubbling and breaking at the surface and liquid is rising. When you have reached a rolling boil then time 2 full minutes for it to continue to boil then take off heat and blend for 1 minute.(If you don't do this frosting precisly as stated you will have a runny mess that want set). Immediatly pour a layer of frosting in-between each layer of warm cake (I work with 3 layers at a time; I cook 3 then frost them while I'm cooking more). Of course this is a time consuming creation but let me tell you the outcome is raving. One more pointer: after you have finished the layering of all 12-14 layers let the remaing frosting sit to thicken a little (but still pourable) before you frost the top and sides. After the frosting has set on the cake Nearly like store bought icing then smooth the sides with the frosting that has oozed onto the plate. I suggest using a plate that is at least an inch in depth (A tupperware cake-taker is great using the deep-well side). I am also a Southern Cook/baker from North Carolina and believe me this is a Wonderful Cake To Create.

My 89 year old grandmother has been making a cake similar to this for many years. Her batter recipe differs slightly - only use 1 cup of milk and 3 1/2 cups of self rising flour. To make the batter: cream the oil, margarine, vanilla & sugar together; add the 6 eggs; add 3 1/2 cups flour then add one cup of milk only mixing for a minute after the addition of the milk. To make the filling (chocolate icing), use 3 cups of sugar, 6 heaping tablespoons (use a serving spoon) of cocoa powder and add enough water to make a paste (just eyeball it). Then add 1 can evaporated milk and 2 sticks of margarine. Bring mixture to a boil, cooking until just thick and stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and let sit on burner. You put this filling between each layer and to the remaining filling you add powdered sugar to make it thick (eyeball it). This becomes the icing for the cake - allow sit out uncovered so the icing will harden.

I wanted to impress my husband for his birthday. A chocolate layer cake is his favorite and spending more time or working more than the writer indicated was fine, so I ignored that in other reviews. Do NOT ignore however those upset about the recipe not working. It states a 1/4 cup of batter for each layer, it should be 1/4 inch of batter. The recipe for the batter is the only thing you should take from this disaster. That was fine. I read what everyone had to say and took my time with the ingredients, measured everything out before baking and mixing, and it still turned out terrible. It is true, the frosting NEVER set. After 24 hours of being soupy frosting, the cake was so terrible I had to throw it away and alas my hubby had not birthday cake. 24 HOURS!!!! And it never set!!!! In the end I had a very gummy mess on my cake plate and will never try this again. My advice, don't walk, but run from this recipe. wshooter

For all of you out there having trouble with the icing, here is another alternative. This is the icing recipe I use for my 14 layer cake which does come out a little thicker (not that there is anything wrong with the one already listed!)But you do need to make the icing first. 1 stick margarine, 3 1/2 blocks unsweetened Bakers Chocolate, 2 cups evaporated milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 cups sugar & a dash of salt. Melt sugar & chocolate in saucepan then add other ingredients. Cook until thick stirring constantly. Ice each layer as it comes out of the oven. Hope this helps! From another Carolina Girl!

I made this recipe with much success and garnered raves from friends and family during the holidays. This is a bit of confusion in the amounts and what type of milk to use in the list of ingredients but I made the adjustment by following the written directions and met with no problems at all. A labor intensive creation that's worth every bit of the effort. Nell was very generous to share this wonderful southern secret with us! (By the way, I'm from North Carolina and have had it many times. This one is the best!)

If you follow the directions by CarolinaGirl34 this recipe is perfect. I have never made this and my boyfriend's parents were going to order it from somewhere for Thanksgiving. Instead of them ordering it, I volunteered to make it and made my 'Practice Cake' for my office Thanksgiving party. It was a huge hit with a big 'wow' factor. If you adjust the measurements as indicated, and make sure to bring the icing to a rolling boil, it will be fine. It's delicious. And when you cut into the cake it's beautiful. I sprinkled chopped pistachio's on top. I would recommend something like that to make it prettier.

This delicious cake, when prepared correctly, will ruin any other chocolate cake for you. It seems to be primarily a "southern" thing though. (I'm southern, by the way.) And each cook ultimately has to adjust and tweek their recipe a little. I don't know exactly why, but the same recipe always turns out a little differently in each cook's kitchen. (Maybe that's a southern thing too.) At any rate, once you've had it done right, it's bound to become one of your all-time favorites. One tip I've learned is to make two smaller batches of icing/frosting. The icing between the layers is supposed to be a little on the soupy side allowing the thin cake layers to partially absorb it. The icing on the outside of the cake should be a little stiffer, but still not as thick as conventional icing. Neither icing should be "fluffy" in the versions I've savored in the past. It's labor-intensive and time-consuming, but oh-so-good once you've got the right recipe [for you].

I love this recipe! We have it every year at holiday gatherings, but I've never had the recipe. I followed all of the suggestions submitted by CAROLINAGIRL34 and had no problems whatsoever. I did adjust the recipe to accommodate 9" cake pans and plain flour. To do so, the list of ingredients changed as follows. For the batter: 1/2 cup + 2tbs +2 tsp butter flavored shortening; 1/2 cup butter; 2 1/3 cups white sugar; 7 eggs; 3 1/2 cups milk; 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 tbs +1 tsp baking powder; 3 1/2 cups milk. For the icing: 3 1/2 cups white sugar; 1 cup + 2 tbs. + 2tsp. butter; 1/2 cup +1 tbs. + 1tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/4 cup + 2 tsp. water; 2 1/3 cups evaporated milk. I increased the amount of batter in each pan to 1 cup. My cake was the hit of our Thanksgiving table and everyone was astonished the cake was as moist as it was. Thanks to Nell and CAROLINAGIRL34!

I have always been considered a pretty good baker, I'm always the "dessert bringer". This recipe was the worst baking disaster I have ever had. The frosting recipe needs adjusting too, it was more like chocolate soup. NEVER thickened.

Ok: i took the challenge to make the cake according to both recipe and reviws and it paid off. It is a different cake, with a special melt in your mouth rich texture. next time though, I'm baking the layers in a large rectangular pan or cookie sheet and cutting them in three rectangles to reduce overall baking time. So what if it's not a round cake? I also sprinkled ground walnuts between layers and it was just what i hoped for: a hit!!