Aunt Bonnie's Chocolate Cake

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by Bonnie, CWO's monthly columnist for Bonnie's Kitchen.

Before I share with you the recipe, it is important to tell you how this recipe was developed and how I now am baking this scrumptious cake and going to be passing it along to you!
The following recipe is a very special recipe to me as it was passed down for a few generations and I will definitely be teaching my daughters how to make this extraordinary cake! My mom taught me this recipe when I was a little girl. In fact, it was one of the first recipes I had done when I was learning to cook and bake! I grew up eating this cake a lot! I had many birthdays where I ate Aunt Bonnie's Chocolate Cake! Yummo!
A little note about my mom: She is a WONDERFUL cook and baker! She used to bake pies professionally for a local restaurant in her town. She is that good! I have had the honor of learning some traits of her baking skills! I asked my mom the history behind this cake. After reading what my mom had written, I was even more blessed by this recipe. And, I think I am ready to go make some cake!
History:

When Aunt Bonnie Regan Sanders was a little girl, she had the mumps and lost her hearing. She loved to bake. (Cakes and pies) She made a chocolate cake from a recipe she had found, but later lost. She made up her own recipe for Chocolate Cake and baked that cake for our birthdays. We called it "Aunt Bonnie's Chocolate Cake"

When I was around 12 years old, she taught me how to bake cakes and pies.

"Aunt Bonnie's Chocolate Cake"

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 teasp. vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup hot coffee

(sour milk:-1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar plus sweet milk to make 1/2 cup-let stand 5 minutes)

Combine first three ingredients. Make a well in the center. Add egg, oil and vanilla. Have hot coffee made and measured. Add soda to buttermilk (sour milk) mix--pour into well--add hot coffee and stir quickly until there is no dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees in 8X8 pan for 30 minutes. Recipe is easily doubled for 13X9X2 pan. Can also place in layer pans to make a layer cake. (Bake for 25 minutes) Frost when cake is cool.

Butter Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter

1 1-pound package confectioners' sugar, sifted (about 4 3/4 cups)

Light cream or milk (about 1/4 cup)

1 1/2 teasp vanilla

Cream butter; gradually add about half the sugar, blending well. Beat in 2 tablesopoons cream (milk) and vanilla. Gradually blend in remaining sugar. Add enough cream to make of spreading consistency. Frosts two 9 or 9-inch layers.

For chocolate butter frosting: Prepare butter frosting adding two 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled with the vanilla OR substitute chocolate squares with 3 Tablespoons cocoa and 1 Tablespoon melted butter for each square. (6 Tblsp cocoa/2Tblsp melted butter)