Nana's Brownie Cake

Nana's Brownie Cake

*this is my mother's favorite cake... VERY chocolate, very moist, and, for us, none better!

we will do this for Nana's birthday every year!!! as long as I can remember!

melt and boil (I use the microwave these days :)

1 stk butter

1/2 c shortening

4 T cocoa

1 C water

pour into: 2 C flour

2 C sugar

pinch of salt

mix and add: 2 eggs

1/2 C buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk on hand... today I didn't... use 1/2 c milk and add 1 T lemon juice... let it sit for 5 minute and use as buttermilk... works great!)
1 t soda

Mix and pour into Pyrex sheet cake pan (I use the med. size one)
cook 30 minutes at 350 degrees (until toothpick comes out clean)
Icing:
melt: 1 stick butter
4T cocoa
6 T milk
mix into above liquid: 1 box powdered sugar
1 T vanilla
1 C chopped nuts (notice hint at bottom of recipe)

pour over warm (NOT HOT) cake....

hint: 1/2 our family likes nuts, 1/2 don't!

hence.... we pour 1/2 icing over cake and then mix nuts into the other 1/2 and pour over remainder of cake.... gotta please the crowd!

*** this is even better if you can make it a day ahead... only gets better as it sits a while!