Picnic Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from “Simple Country Pleasures” cookbook by Friedman/Fairfax but I have changed it through years of baking it. I put less sugar (and brown sugar instead of white) and only one egg instead of two. I substituted margarine with butter and added a cinnamon. I decorated it with fresh violets flowers and dusted it with sugar. It is simple but delicious and great for garden parties and picnics.
Recipe:
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 tbls cocoa
1 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
Grease a cake pan and preheat oven at 375 F. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar and salt. In a small saucepan heat butter, cocoa and water, boil for a minute. Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Add eggs, soda, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth and pour into cake pan. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes. When cool transfer it into the cake pan and dust with confectioners’ sugar, decorate with edible flowers such as lilac, violets or rose petals.