GRANDMA BASTOW'S SKILLET CAKE

Steps:

• 1. To make the cake, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• 2. Put butter and chocolate baking squares in a 9" WELL SEASONED cast iron skillet.
• 3. Place skillet in oven and allow butter and chocolate to melt.
• 4. Remove skillet from oven.
• 5. Stir butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool (about 20 minutes).
• 6. When pan has cooled, add two unbeaten eggs to chocolate/butter mixture and stir slightly with a wire whisk.
• 7. In separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and baking soda.
• 8. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the chocolate mixture in the skillet stirring with wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
• 9. Then add the vanilla.
• 10. Place skillet in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.
• 11. Remove skillet from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
• 12. If your skillet has not been seasoned well, the cake may stick. If it feels like it has stuck to the skillet, loosen the cake from the edges with a knife.
• 13. Run a large spatula between the cake and the pan on the underneath side to loosen it before inverting it onto the serving platter.
• 14. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let cake cool before adding frosting (about an hour).
• 15. To make the frosting, cream one-third of the powdered sugar with the butter with electric mixer.
• 16. Blend in vanilla and almond extract.
• 17. Add 2 tablespoons of the cream and blend well.
• 18. Add the remaining sugar to the mixture.
• 19. Gradually add more cream.
• 20. Continue mixing until the frosting has the desired spreading consistency.
• 21. Spread on cooled cake.
• 22. Shave some chocolate almond bark or chocolate candy bar onto the top of the frosting for a beautiful finish to this cake.