Chocolate Fair Cake
It was the Victoria Livestock show last week.
My years as a stock show mom are behind me, but the memories live on, some in infamy, like the first year my son, Carter, raised show pigs.
The first year he embarked on his swine journey we were all totally new to the animal-raising game, so we were all learning together and boy, did we learn. We lived in Jackson County at the time so the pigs are tagged in early June before the Fair in October, so you really do spend a lot of time raising them.
This timeline also means the time you’re raising them coincides with dove season as well as preparation time for deer season. In our house that meant raising the pigs would be a family affair.
One fateful Saturday morning in late September my daughter Caroline and I were left with the responsibility of checking the pigs while Carter was off dove hunting. By this time the cute little piggies had grown into huge muscular powerhouses, as I opened the pen to check on them, they pushed their way out and went hog-wild in our yard. We had moved into a new home that summer and the pigs were anxious to root around in my newly landscaped yard. We did our best to corral the enormous muddy hogs, but our efforts were futile. The harder we tried to herd them the wilder they went. Sweet Caroline and I were hot and hysterical running around the yard after these pigs, and then the real drama started.
I remember hearing stories about Ralph the swimming pig and his famous swine dive into Aquarena Springs, but I never saw it for myself and always truthfully thought it was just a bit of Texas lore. I never believed that pigs could swim, but on that steamy September Saturday in La Salle, Texas I learned pigs can and do swim.
In our haste to recapture the wayward swine we’d driven them onto our pool deck, and I thought this was a perfect plan because they would have nowhere to go but back into the pen or into the pool.
I never expected them to choose the latter, but it’s exactly what they did.
In a spectacular muddy leap those two heavy weight hogs jumped into our new swimming pool.
The water immediately went from crystal clear to murky black, so black we lost sight of the porkers.
I was sure they would drown but I was wrong again, those pigs swam.
They swam and swam and when they were finally finished, they swam to the beach entrance of the pool and climbed out. If I’d not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.
I guess the excitement and the swim wore them out because it did not take much coaxing on our part to get the shiny clean swine back into their pens. That year Carter had his greatest success showing pigs at the fair, coming home with a Reserve Grand Championship. I wondered over the years if the reason he never duplicated that success was because we never entered another swimming pig? I wondered, but not enough to ever let it happen again. This is my Jackson County Youth Fair Grand Champion Chocolate Fair Cake and even without a blue ribbon attached it is still a winner. Preparing for the Livestock show is a wonderful learning experience, not just for the exhibitor but for the whole family and it takes the entire community to support these great kids. Thank you to all the volunteers who make the Fair possible and remember, life is short, eat dessert first.
Chocolate Fair Cake • 1 c butter, softened
• 3 c light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large, room temperature eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 2/3 c flour
• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 ts[ salt
• 1 1/3 c sour cream
• 1-1/3 c hot coffee
• Frosting
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 brick softened cream cheese
• 2 tsp vanilla
Preparation: Grease and flour three non-inch. round baking pans.
Beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, then add the vanilla. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together and then add to creamed mixture alternating with the sour cream, mixing until blended, then stir in the coffee.
Transfer to three prepared pans nine-inch pans and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans.
Melt the butter and chocolates together in a double boiler and cool slightly. Beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla together until smooth, then add the melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined. Ice the cake once it is fully cooled and enjoy.
