One Perfect Bite: Easy Everyday Chocolate Cake + One Bowl Butter Cream Frosting

Monday, May 4, 2015

Easy Everyday Chocolate Cake + One Bowl Butter Cream Frosting

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Once upon a time in America, dessert ended every dinner in most homes. That didn't happen at my house. My mother was not a cook and save for an odd pie now and again, dessert, if it was to be had at all, was jello or boxed pudding. The Silver Fox came from a home where dessert was considered a sacred experience, and his mother would not dream of serving anything as pedestrian as lime jello. She had a bevy of quick dessert recipes, and a version of the cake I'm sharing with you tonight was among them. This is an easy cake to make, and depending on time and inclination, it can be presented as a layer or sheet cake. Knowing that I had to tote the cake, I took the line of least resistance and made a very portable sheet cake with lots of icing on it. You will like this cake. It comes from the Hershey recipe collection and these folks have never let me down. If a recipe has their name on it, I know it will work. This, by the way, is not a sponsored post. I just happen to like the recipes that come from their test kitchen and use them whenever I can. I have nothing to add to the directions below, save for explaining that the original version of this recipe was made with water rather than milk. We went through a nutrition conscious period during the 60's and 70's and moms, being moms, tried to boost the protein grams in every dish they made. The addition of milk was a favorite way of doing that. I must say, I don't think using it changes the way this cake tastes. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how this delicious cake is made.

Everyday Chocolate Cake ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Hershey test kitchen

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/3 cups water or milk
Frosting
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2) Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl.Beat on high speed of mixer 3 minutes.
3) Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
4) Add dry ingredients alternately with water to butter mixture, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5) Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
6) To make frosting: Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.
7) Frost completely cooled cake. Makes 8 to 12 servings.