I know it has been some time since I last posted and I do have a few recipes to share. I have made this particular chocolate cake recipe four times in the last month and just today I did a variation on the frosting, prompting me to finally write the post. This is a chocolate cake recipe that I found in "Quick Vegetarian Pleasures", a cookbook a friend of mine told me about many years ago. In fact, she made this cake for my daughter's 5th birthday while we were visiting them in Seattle in 1996.
It is an easy cake to whip up and is nearly foolproof, REALLY! The taste and texture is quite similar to my mom's "Never Fail Chocolate Cake" recipe which was the standard birthday cake in my house growing up.
A few months ago I splurged at TJ MAXX and bought two new cake pans. They are 9 inch pans and were of a heavier weight than the pans I had used for years. WHAT A DIFFERENCE they make. My cakes rise much higher now. For this cake I have adjusted the quantities to 1.5 times the original. This makes the layers nice and thick and it looks great when you cut into it.
"Best" Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cocoa(I use King Arthur Double Dutch Dark Cocoa)
2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1+ tsp. salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 tsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups warm water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your cake pans and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Then make a well in the middle and add the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and stir until well blended. You do NOT need to use an electric mixer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your cake pans and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Then make a well in the middle and add the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and stir until well blended. You do NOT need to use an electric mixer.
Divide your batter evenly between the two pans and bake at 350 degrees for ~30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cakes cool about ten minutes before removing from pans and let cakes cool completely before frosting.
Option #1: Easy Chocolate Icing
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
12 TBS. butter, softened
1 egg
Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. In mixing bowl, cream butter until soft and smooth, then beat in egg. Pour in melted chocolate and then mix until smooth. Frost your cake right away and then chill the cake for at least one hour to help the frosting "set". Let the cake sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes before serving.
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
12 TBS. butter, softened
1 egg
Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. In mixing bowl, cream butter until soft and smooth, then beat in egg. Pour in melted chocolate and then mix until smooth. Frost your cake right away and then chill the cake for at least one hour to help the frosting "set". Let the cake sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes before serving.
Option #2: Easy Caramel Icing
1 stick of butter
2 cups of brown sugar(firmly packed)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup skim milk)
2 cups of brown sugar(firmly packed)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup skim milk)
~3-4 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
more milk or cream, as needed
~ 1/2 tsp. sea salt or espresso salt
In a medium saucepan, mix together the butter, brown sugar and milk/cream. Bring to a boil on medium heat and let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Then mix in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla. You may want to add more milk or cream to achieve your desired consistency.
Frost your cake while the frosting is still slightly warm so that it is easier to spread. Sprinkle the top of your cake with sea salt or espresso salt(as I did). Because the caramel icing is quite sweet, the salt adds a nice contrast and it helps to balance the flavors. As the caramel sets, the frosting becomes firm, but not hard, so do not worry if it becomes difficult to frost. You can add more milk or simply put your knife in some hot water and then use it to smooth out the icing on the cake.
So cut yourself a slice of cake, pour a glass of cold milk and sit down and enjoy.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
more milk or cream, as needed
~ 1/2 tsp. sea salt or espresso salt
In a medium saucepan, mix together the butter, brown sugar and milk/cream. Bring to a boil on medium heat and let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Then mix in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla. You may want to add more milk or cream to achieve your desired consistency.
Frost your cake while the frosting is still slightly warm so that it is easier to spread. Sprinkle the top of your cake with sea salt or espresso salt(as I did). Because the caramel icing is quite sweet, the salt adds a nice contrast and it helps to balance the flavors. As the caramel sets, the frosting becomes firm, but not hard, so do not worry if it becomes difficult to frost. You can add more milk or simply put your knife in some hot water and then use it to smooth out the icing on the cake.
So cut yourself a slice of cake, pour a glass of cold milk and sit down and enjoy.
yours in baking-
p
