 |
| Allow me to introduce my sous chefs: Miss Molly and Miss Caitlin. :) |
Back in January, we had a joint birthday and going away party for my cousins Molly and Caitlin and my uncle Sean. Molly just turned 5, Caitlin will be 7 soon, and Sean is heading out on deployment soon. Naturally, I volunteered to make the cake for the occasion. I babysat the girls on Saturday night and got their help to make this extra special cake.
Before we started making this cake, I told the girls about this baking blog. They were so excited to get to bake with me and take pictures along the way. Seriously, they are the cutest pictures ever. I’m so excited for you to see these because they are precious. Caitlin taught Molly how to properly measure baking powder and baking soda and it was amazing. Molly learned to crack an egg and did it without getting any of the shell in the bowl! Caitlin spilled unsweetened cocoa powder and thought she should eat it off the counter to clean it. The girls were in bed by the time the cakes came out of the oven and were ready for frosting, so I had to do that on my own. But, on the day of the party, Caitlin and Jen wrote “Happy Birthday” and in orange frosting, decorated it with colorful sprinkles, and added candles. It was exactly what a birthday/going away cake should be…made with love . :)
Now, about this particular recipe. It’s on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa powder box, so it’s not like I’m the first to bake this chocolate cake. Personally, I discovered it from my favorite baking blog, Brown Eyed Baker.
 |
| A little shout out to Hershey's!! |
Side note: I aspire to have a website as fabulous as Michelle’s (the Brown Eyed Baker) and bake as often as she does! Seriously, the woman is baking machine. Her website is my first stop whenever I need a recipe or inspiration. I know I should go to all of my cook books, but the internet is so easy and convenient. Especially because I can look up recipes whenever the mood strikes me, like when I’m in the grocery store or doing lunch supervision.
Okay, back to this cake. It’s delicious. It’s everything a chocolate cake should be and more. It’s moist, delicious, and perfectly sweetened without being too dense and heavy and overly chocolaty (like there is such a thing!). It truly is “Perfectly Chocolate.” And why wouldn’t it be? Its Hershey’s…need I say more?
Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Heat oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
 |
| Measuring out the flour. |
 |
| Cocoa powder is delicious, messy, and obviously tons of fun! |
 |
| Big sis teaching little sis to properly measure baking powder...this warms my heart! |
 |
| Look! A picture of the dry ingredients mixing...how original! :) |
 |
| First Cait cracks her egg to show Molly what to do... |
 |
| And then Molly did all by herself! Look at her--she's so proud!! And so am I! |
 |
| Just about there...just needs one more thing... |
 |
| I don't claim to know why you add boiling water, but the cake is delicious so I won't question it! |
Pour batter into prepared pans.
 |
| Ready for the oven...as soon as the oven is ready for them. |
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
 |
| Delicious! |
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting.
Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting
½ cup butter
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
 |
| Butter, cocoa, and some of the powdered sugar and milk. |
Add small amount of additional milk, if needed, to bring it to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.
 |
| Now with all the powdered sugar and milk and my favorite ingredient: vanilla! |
Makes about 2 cups of frosting.
 |
| It was a very special occasion, so I opted for some fancy piping (clearly I don't decorate like this often...or ever). |
 |
| The cake in all it's glory!!! |
The girls really enjoyed their cake. Caitlin even said it tasted “just like the cake from Chuck E. Cheese.” At first I was offended by that statement as I know that our cake was far superior to Chuck E. Cheese’s, but then I remembered she’s a kid that doesn’t really discriminate against any dessert! Molly, on the other hand, can be pretty picky, so I take it as a good sign that she ate her whole piece of homemade cake when she didn’t finish the Chuck E. Cheese cake the night before.
 |
| Molly, I'm so proud of you and your baking skills! |
 |
| Cait, does it really taste like the one from Chuck E. Cheese? ;) |
Thanks for reading!!
No comments:
Post a Comment