Todd's Cake
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009

Cake:

3 1/2 cup flour (1 Tbsp more for lower elevations)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup coca powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups water

2/3 cup oil (1 Tbsp at lower elevations)

2 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Combine all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips. Mix well. add remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed until batter is lump-free and ribbon consistency. Grease and flour bottom and cone of bundt pan. Pur mix into pan, tap to even out. Add I cup chocolate chips to top of batter and press so none are showing. Bake for 35-40 mins at 350 degrees. Cool.

Frosting:

12 oz bag chocolate chips

3 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp butter spread

Combine all and heat until melted over medium meat. Drizzle over cake. Serve!

On Jun 6, 2009, at 3:04 PM, Todd Trauntvein wrote:

And...might I say...we found out this week that if you leave out the mere 2 tsp of baking soda, you wind up with a very thick and weird tasting chocolate brick.On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 4:30 PM, 

On Jun 6, 2009, Kirsten wrote:

ahahahaHA... Chortle, chortle, snort!   How did that work with the braces?

Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 18:48:21 -0400

Braces?  Who has braces at my house??

Let's just say that more than half of the cake just got thrown away!  Good chocolate down the drain, that was hard!

 Amy

From: "L H TRAUNTVEIN" 
Sent 6/8/2009 6:52:36 AM
Are you a brace-free family? I found out that you can leave the salt out of my oatmeal cookies and almost no one notices.

AnnMarie Howard wrote:

I just got back from trek and have to join in on Todd's cake.  I was so busy Sunday that I asked Alyssa to make the dessert.  I told her about Todd's cake so we printed off the recipe and she made it.  YUMMY!!  I even had two pieces.  I could just drink the icing, it is that good.
Thanks for sharing.
AnnMarie

On Jun 11, 2009, at 8:14 PM, Todd Trauntvein wrote:

Glad you enjoyed it.  I also have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has taken me 20 years to develop, but you will taste nothing better.  I might share that one.  Might not.  Maybe, I'll sell it on e-bay.

On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 10:24 PM, Kirsten wrote:

What?!!!!  Family first, man!  I've been trying to adapt and amend cookie recipes only for four years, and am still searching for THE best.  So, please (I'm begging you) (I promise I'll keep it a secret) send me the recipe (with high altitude amendments of course).   :0)

By the way, as for the kids in braces...  well, we all know I must have been day dreaming (you know we tend to dream of teeth around these parts).  *wink, wink.  Please tell me at least someone has retainers so I don't feel so out of it. :)

loves,

Kirsten

Braden Bolton, Thursday, June 11, 2009, 11:03 PM

michael has retainers, so there ya go!! and todd should share the recipe with all of us (we all want a great recipe).

Amy G, June 12, 2009

Actually Michael only had to wear a retainer for 4 months now has straight teeth.  Yay for me and my savings account!  Good luck on getting the cookie recipe......I know he accepts cash!  ;-) 

Cambridge/Longfellow Park Chapel destroyed by fire‏

Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 20:13:19 +0000
From: Melanie

Our CES Director sent us an email last night with the video link that was on the news about fire destroying the Longfellow building (thus called because it is directly across the street from Longfellow's home). As all of the Trauntveins have attended church in this building in the 70's and 80's I thought you would be interested in the story. This building was the oldest LDS building in the Boston area. It was a beautiful building. I have attended many events there. 

Dear All,

Here's a video of the fire that destroyed our institute and the historic Longfellow Park Chapel yesterday. We managed to save the irreplaceable contents of our institute library, but most of the rest of our institute was destroyed by water damage. Thankfully no one was hurt. Events like this sure 
help you to put things into perspective.

Thanks for all your sympathetic responses.

Love,

Tomm

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/19487236/index.html

From Myrna

That is really sad. I loved that old historic building. This news just breaks my heart. I have such happy memories of visiting the church and attending meetings there. We only visited a couple of times but those memories are good ones. I hope they try to rebuild it like it was. It was really nice of the Quakers to offer their building as temporary storage for the books. Love, M