Ingredients
- Solid vegetable shortening for greasing pans
- Flour for dusting pans
- 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
- 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatual. Increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatual. Place in the oven side by side.
3. Bake the cakes until they turn golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Pan Frosting.
5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.
*Store this cake, in a cake saver or under a glass dome. Or freeze it, wrapped in foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Chocolate Pan Frosting:
12 tbs (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole milk
5 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1. Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Cook another minute, stirring until the mixture thickens and just begins to come to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in the 5 cups of sugar, adding more if needed, until the frosting is thickened and smooth and the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
2. Ladle the warm frosting liberally over the top of a cooled cake of your choice, spreading it with a metal spatula so that it reaches the edges of the cake. Spread the sides of the cake with more frosting, smoothing it out as you go. It will harden as it cools. Work quickly because this frosting goes on best while still warm.