This cake is extremely easy to make, and quite good; it’s very rich and moist with a deep chocolate flavor. Unlike more involved recipes, where various ingredients are added at different times, with this recipe basically everything is all mixed up at once. A horror for fans of The Cake Bible, with it’s very involved preparations, and contrary to the expectations of experienced bakers, it works in this case.
Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C 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
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 9 inch round pans.
Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove to wire rack. Cool completely and frost with “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate frosting (recipe follows).
“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting
1 stick (1/2 C) butter
2/3 C Hershey’s cocoa
3 C powdered sugar
1/3 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
Melt butter and stir in cocoa. Alaternately add powderced sugar and milk, meating on medium speed until very smooth and fluffy. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Enjoy!
This really is one of, if not, THE best recipe for a great, dark and rich chocolate cake. It gets more moist the next day, too.
Some tips to consider:
Mix all the dry ingredients together and then sift them into a large bowl. This will ensure that the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and there are no “caked” portions of the cocoa.
I mix all the wet ingredients together. I’ve never used boiling water, and in fact, all of my wet ingredients other than the oil and vanilla have come straight from the fridge.
Substitute for the boiling water, a cup of strong coffee. The coffee brings out an even more chocolaty taste to the whole cake.
Substitute for the milk, buttermilk. I find that the flavor is better and makes the cake a little richer.
Lastly, if you make this in a bundt pan, or any pan for that matter, use either Baker’s Joy spray or any spray that has flour in it. They really work.