Whatcha' Cookin' Wednesday - "'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake" (and icing)

Today is Danger Dad's birthday! So, cake is in order...

When I married Danger Dad I inherited The Cake Recipe. This was handed down to me by his mother and handed down to her by her mother-in-law and not sure where it came from before that but it’s been in his family a very long time. This Cake was made for every birthday. This Cake was legend. And revered.

And AWFUL.

It tasted like chocolate-flavored dry wall and had to be smothered in tons of frosting and ice cream just to make it edible. After Year Two of marriage I’d had enough. I couldn’t bear to make the cake and had no intention of passing the recipe along to anyone else. A new recipe needed to be found. Enter the “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake. I found this life-saving/marriage-saving recipe on the Hershey’s site. Who knew? It’s easy and absolutely scrumptious. The icing recipe is included below too. I usually double it. We're crazy like that.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (I use the darkest I can find… Ghiradelli makes a good one...)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. (I use a bundt pan with a hole in the middle since Danger Dad likes icing on all FOUR sides of his cake. Weirdo.)

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 pan(s).

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. Frost. Eat. Go into sugar coma.

(If you use a bundt pan bake for 50-55 minutes.)

No-fail Chocolate Frosting
(Note: I double this recipe for a two layer cake.. And sometimes I even triple it…)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
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. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Yields about 2 cups frosting.