Leader food writer Kathleen Brotherton is offering website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature on Wednesdays.

When I was growing up, my mom didn’t have the advantages modern cooks enjoy today. She had a Kenmore mixer with two different size bowls, but there were no blenders or food processors back then.

Mom spent most of the summer months working outside on our farm, whether it was milking cows and chasing them out to pasture, or cutting or raking fields of hay or tending to our large garden. She also spent a lot of time canning countless jars of vegetables.

Modern conveniences would have come in handy back then, saving her hours of time in the kitchen, but there weren’t even crockpots then. And, she barely even used the conveniences she had, like the mixer, which she saved for special occasions.

So when she ran across this unique Chocolate Float Cake recipe in a farm journal she subscribed to, it was one she could mix by hand and she tried it out. It made a delicious chocolate cake and was a hit with our family, particularly Mom. The recipe was one of her favorites, and she made it quite often. As a result, we started getting dessert more.

The recipe is easy. There is no need to ice the cake (although you can if you like) since it turns out with a kind of rich pudding on the bottom.

The recipe doesn’t mention what size pan to bake the cake in, but Mom always used a cookie sheet-type pan with deep sides so the “pudding” wouldn’t run over the sides. Then, she dusted the top of the baked cake with powdered sugar.

If served with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped topping, the cake is a super summer treat!

Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.

CHOCOLATE FLOAT CAKE

First layer:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 cup milk

1 cup chopped nuts

Mix together the above-listed ingredients and then pour the mixture in an ungreased cake pan.

Second layer:

2 cups sugar

8 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 cups hot water

Mix together the three ingredients listed above and pour over the top of the other mixture in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Leave baked cake in pan and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve hot or cold.