***When a friend, Peggy, recently asked me to make a double chocolate cake for a party, I had just the right recipe in mind. I had seen this recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa canister, and I had also heard wonderful things about this particular cake over on Good Things Catered. So, I decided to give it a try. And let me just tell you...making a chocolate cake and not eating a slice was EXTREMELY hard for me...LOL....I am very much a chocolate addict. I was very pleased with the results, though. The cake was wonderfully moist (just look at the pics!) and the frosting was out-of-this-world delicious. Seriously...this cake is my new go-to chocolate cake.Peggy wanted a fall-themed cake, preferably with sunflowers. I had a lot of fun thinking of ideas for this cake!***
Cake Batter = Chocolately Goodness!
Just look at those yummy layers...
Ingredients:
2 c. sugar
1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water (or 1 c. freshly brewed, hot coffee)
For the Frosting:
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 c. Hershey's Cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
Pour batter into prepared pans. 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.
Meanwhile, make frosting:
Stir melted butter into cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add a small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. (Yields about 2 cups frosting.)
Frost cake when completely cooled, as desired.
Source: Hershey's Kitchens
Comments
I also found the following info online...I hope this helps!
Cakes will sink or fall because:
1). Overbeating – too much air is incorporated into batter.
2). Underbaking - Oven temperature too low and/or too short a baking time.
3). Over or under measurement of liquid or under measurement of flour.
4). Using too small or large of a baking pan.
5). Moving or jarring cake before sufficiently baked or opening the oven door before cake sets.
Note: Only open oven door if absolutely needed, one-half to three-quarter's way through baking.
6). The most common error has to do with the oven temperature. Make sure you have an oven thermometer to test your oven for accuracy.
7). Depending on the recipe if you fold in egg whites, if not beaten fully or folded in too harshly, the cake could fall.
8). Even creaming the butter and sugar too much or too little can cause problems.
I might try a smidgen less coffee next time (tonight:). Thanks for the tips and for sharing the amazing recipes!