What This Blog Is About

This is a blog made by a real wife who cooks real meals for a real husband who works long shifts at a real job. In other words, most of these dinners are not super-low-calorie, nor are they always uber-healthy. They're meant to fill a hard-working, hungry guy's belly, and keep him full for 12-hour shifts, so he needs more than "rabbit food" to sustain him. That said, I do try to avoid foods that are terribly bad, and I try to make sure he gets a reasonably-balanced meal without breaking the bank. These dinners generally serve 3-4 people each ... or dinner and a leftover-lunch for one hungry husband.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Dessert - "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake


Credit:  https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=184&name=HERSHEY%27S-PERFECTLY-CHOCOLATE-Chocolate-Cake

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (Comment:  I would use 3-4 eggs, as my cake didn't rise as well as I expected)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

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 water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Comment:  Mine took about 10 minutes longer to bake in a 9x13" pan.  Even so, the center looked like it wasn't done, but a toothpick came out clean.) Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

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. About 2 cups frosting.

Comments:  My cake turned out more like a brownie than a cake.  The cake was okay-tasting, but I didn't think it was exceptional.  I've had better cakes made from box-mixes, to be honest.  The frosting, however, is outstanding!  I think next time I'll use a different recipe for the cake itself, but the frosting recipe is a "keeper". Trust me:  just a bit will take care of ANY chocolate craving you might have!  :-)  If you're into cake decorating, this icing is too soft to hold its shape (at least as-made by the recipe), but it's great for just simply icing a cake.



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