Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Looking for a foolproof recipe for Chocolate Cake? Want to make a butter cream frosting that will make you weak in your leg? Want to surprise your loved ones with the Best cake ever made? Look no further. This chocolate cake is the answer. It is a one bowl recipe and even beginners can make it. So what are you waiting for? Get, Set, Bake!

I have been looking for chocolate cake recipes for ages. But somehow none of them felt just right. But when I saw this recipe I knew I found what I was looking for. I made this cake for a group of friends and they all loved it.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake
Sugar 400 gms (2 cups)
All Purpose Flour 225 gms (13/4 cup)
Cocoa Powder 75 gms (3/4 cup)
Baking Powder 1.5 tsp
Baking Soda 1.5 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Large Eggs 2
Milk 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract 2 tsp
Boiling Water 1 cup

Chocolate Frosting (Makes 2 cups)
Butter 113 gms (1/2 cup, 1 stick)
Cocoa Powder 67 gms (2/3 cup)
Icing Sugar 360 gms (3 cups)
Milk 1/3 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F).

2. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans. Line them with parchment paper and flour them. Dust off the excess flour.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to the bowl.

5. Beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. At this stage the batter will have a regular thick cake batter consistency.

6. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be very thin. It almost looked the consistency of hot chocolate to me. Don't worry.

7. Pour batter into prepared pans.

8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean.

9. Cool 15 minutes in the pan. Then remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Prepare the frosting

1. Melt butter and add to a mixing bowl.

2. Stir in cocoa powder.

3. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed.

4. Stir in vanilla.

Assembly

Place one of the cakes top side down. Apply a liberal portion of the frosting on it. Place the other cake, bottom down on the frosting. Apply the rest of the frosting on the top and the sides. You can reserve a little frosting and use a piping bag to do some designs on top.

Notes about cake size

1. The cake recipe makes two 9" sandwich cakes.

2. I could not use my 9" pan. So I actually ended up baking in my 7" pans. Made two 7" cakes to sandwich and 8 cup cakes. The 7" cake baked in 21 min and the cup cakes as well.