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Dessert, Cake : Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake and Frosting

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This is an updated version of a family recipe from my Great, Great Aunt Aggie; in the old days she used shortening instead of vegetable oil. It's very easy to make, and I enjoy the fudge-like flavor of the frosting. If you want a cake with stronger flavor, replace the one cup of boiling water with one cup of hot coffee, like my Grandma and Aunt Patty often did. You can also find this recipe on the back of a Hershey's cocoa can. This cake has some unusual chemistry going on, so make sure your soda and baking powder are fresh, you preheat the oven and put the cake into bake immmediately after mixing the ngredients.
For ICE CREAM CAKE, see the Cake Variations below.

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Dessert, Cake : Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Frosting 1 Picture

Ingredients

  • CAKE INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 2 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 1-3/4 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 3/4 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa, (or other brand of unsweetened powdered Cocoa)
  • 1-1/2 1-1/2 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, (make sure it's fresh, not expired!)
  • 1-1/2 1-1/2 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda, (make sure it's fresh, not expired!)
  • 1 1 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 2 2 eggs
  • 1 1 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup vegetable oil, (I use Canola, although some people don't care for its flavor in cakes)
  • 2 2 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1 1 cup boiling water OR 1 cup of very hot, black coffee
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  • "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" FROSTING RECIPE
  • 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
  • 2/3 2/3 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 3 3 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 1/3 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 1 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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  • FROSTING DIRECTIONS:
  • to to to 2 cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk if needed to make easier to spread.. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
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Details

Servings 12
Adapted from hershey.com

Preparation

Step 1

CAKE DIRECTIONS:
1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F, (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!)

2. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, (if you're using a different pan or variation, see the notes below).

3. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium mixer speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water, (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. IMMEDIATELY BAKE 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING, (recipe at left) Makes 10 to 12 servings.

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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.
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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.
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BUNDT CAKE: Throughly Grease and Flour a 12-cup Bundt 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. HINT- this recipe does NOT WORK WELL for specialty cake pans with deep crevices or shapes, I once ruined a cake using a Nordic Ware castle pan with this recipe, but it has always worked well using a regular bundt pan.
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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.
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ICE CREAM CAKE: {Allow plenty of time to make ice cream cake - it is easy, but takes awhile, prepping the ice cream for a round a few days before or the night before baking the cake is a good idea, since you need to use the baking pan as an ice cream mold. You can store the premade cake with ice cream wrapped in wax paper for a few days.

For ROUND ICE CREAM CAKE:
1. Several hours or days before baking cake, line one of the round cake pans with plastic wrap. I make a big "t" of plastic across the pan with 2 long pieces of wrap to esure I have plenty to cover the ice cream.
2. Soften ice cream by thawing until it can be easily spread.
3. Scoop as much of the ice cream as you want into the line pan, use the spatula to level the ice cream.
4. Pop into freezer until completely hard.
5. Use plastic wrap to lift ice ceeam out of pan, wrap the ice cream "disk" up with ends of the plastic wrap and put it back in freezer.
6. Make cake according to directions for 2 round layers.
7. Once cake is completely cool, place frozen ice cream layer in between two cake layers, frost as you wish. Freeze.



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