Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

Today, I turned 49 and got up early to bake my birthday cake. This is the final recipe I made from our California vacation and the most decadent one of the four. My family took me to Black Angus Steakhouse in Dublin, CA to celebrate and it was scrumptious. I cannot believe how old I am but things could be worse. I am trying to make the best of it but after turning 30 eons ago, I do not look forward to celebrating subsequent birthdays since getting older can be traumatizing, and it has been for me in certain ways I would rather not get into. Enough of my bickering and let's get to the cake! This chocolate cake has a tender and "moist" crumb texture. Yes, I used the dreaded "m" word but it is the best word to describe this cake. The rich chocolate taste is welcoming and as I previously mentioned, decadent. Happy 49th Birthday to me! See recipe and directions below.

Chocolate Cake

Cake Ingredients
2 cups Granulated Sugar

1 3/4 cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

2 Large Eggs

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup Boiling Water

Chocolate Cake

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a small sauce pan on medium heat boil water.

Grease and flour bottom and sides of 2 9-inch baking pans. Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper and grease and flour over it shaking off excess flour.

Transfer flour mixture to mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed and add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix for about 2 minutes, until incorporated.

With mixer on low speed, carefully and slowly add boiling water and mix until incorporated.

Batter will be thin.

Chocolate Cake

Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. My cake baked in 32 minutes.

Check it after 28 minutes and since ovens vary, you may have to adjust baking time.

Place cake on wire racks and cool for 20 minutes and then run a butter knife around the edge of the pans.

Take wire rack and place on top of the cake and carefully invert so that the top of the cake is face down on the wire rack.

Cool completely; about 1 hour.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted

2/3 cup Hershey's Unsweeted Cocoa Powder

3 cups Confectioners'/Powdered Sugar

1/3 cup Milk (+ 1-2 teaspoons if needed + 2 tablespoons if you want the frosting to drip over the cake)

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

My slice with Dreyer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Directions
In a small sauce pan, melt butter.

Stir in cocoa and transfer to bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

With mixer on low speed, alternately add powdered sugar and milk and mix until incorporated and you reach frosting consistency.

Mix in vanilla extract.

If needed, add 1-2 teaspoons and mix for about 10 seconds more.

Makes 2 cups Frosting.

Take cake and with the top down place on serving platter or cake turntable.

Insert pieces of parchment paper under and all around the cake for easy clean up.

Take spatula and spread generous amount over the top of the cake all the way to the edges.

Place second layer of cake with top face down and firmly but gently press down making sure the top layer is even above the first layer.

Happy 49th Birthday to me ;)

Take frosting (only do this if you want frosting to drip over the cake edges but if not, continue frosting cake), and place in mixer again and add 2 tablespoons of milk and mix for 1 minute.

The frosting will have a thinner consistency but not as thin as a typical drip cake, but enough to go down on the sides.

With spatula, frost from the center of the top layer out leaving about 1 inch unfrosted around the edges of the cake.

Take frosting and frost the edges and with the spatula add more frosting and place on the very edge so it drips down. Continue to do this all around the cake until you have nice drips.

Add chocolate jimmies on top of the cake if desired.

Cover and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Take out and bring to room temperature (about 20 minutes) and serve with vanilla bean ice cream if desired.

For the "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake, visit Hershey's:
https://www.hersheys.com/en_us/recipes/hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake.html

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys