Chocolate Cake

I can’t remember the last time I baked a chocolate cake. It seems like forever ago that when I made it, I had to go over my recipe to refresh my mind. Before, it was just automatic- I know exactly what to grab measure and mix and after less than half an hour, I will have two round pans of my decadent chocolate cake cooling, waiting to be frosted. I got the recipe from Hershey’s Chocolate – it is called the Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake and I just did some tweaking here and there and I really have a perfect chocolate cake- at least to my friends’ liking and mine.

So today, I brought the cake to work and it’s so funny because we have a new co-worker who claims that he doesn’t eat dark chocolate. He was trying to be honest when I served him a slice so he had to tell me. But he loves chocolate so he was going to give it a try. So I saw him eating the frosting, really scraping it – diet conscious people would do that but to put it aside. He on the contrary was eating the frosting and it was my friend who laughingly told him, “You’re eating the dark chocolate”! He turned a little red and laughed at himself. Oh you just turned me into a convert … ha ha ha ha ha….Moral of the story I said- do not refuse anything or be judgmental about something without trying it first.

Here’s how to make it

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Inspired by Hershey’s Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake

1-1/2 cups sugar
1- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
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 hazelnut coffee (brewed or instant)

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2.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 coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 22-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely before frosting

Dark Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
3 1/2 1-ounce squares dark chocolate
3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons hot milk
1 egg
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
Melt chocolate in mixing bowl over hot water.
Remove from heat.
With electric mixer blend in sugar and milk.
Beat in egg, then butter and vanilla.
Frosting will be thin at this point, so place bowl in ice water; beat till of spreading consistency.
Frosts tops and sides of two 9 inch layers