I Love You Like the Fat Boy Love Cake

I love cake. If there was one sweet in the world that I could absolutely not give up for anything it would be chocolate cake. I don't know what it is about it, it's just the perfect instant gratification of something soft and moist and chocolate-y. I don't even care if it has frosting on it. Just...CAAAAKE!

I remember the best cake I ever made was with this recipe. The first time I made it was for Ray's birthday exactly four days before we got married. It is no-nonsense easy, and it really is the best cake. Ray and I both have fond memories of eating it all week because we didn't know how else to get rid of it! (Not that we really tried as actively as we could have...this may be why I gained 50 pounds while I lived in Scotland.) I wish I had a picture of that cake. It was awesome. I remember eating slices of it straight out of the fridge, bright yellow Batman frosting and all.

I have made it into several incarnations since then. With chunks of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate mixed into the batter. In layers with strawberries. With chocolate mousse frosting. As cupcakes. I just can't get away from this cake.

For some reason the easiest preparation of this cake is when it tastes best: Pouring it into a 9x13 pan, baking it and frosting it with vanilla buttercream. Unadulterated bliss. Plain and simple.

I am posting it today because it was the birthday of one of my very best friends on Monday. Not that you should ever need a reason to bake a cake...but if she was here I'd make her this one!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 and 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Grease and flour one 9x13 baking dish or three 9 inch round cake tins.* (This batter has always overflowed on me if I try to use only two.)
-Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
-Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat batter for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour batter into pan(s).
-Bake 35 to 40 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for round tins) or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. remove from pan(s) to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost if desired. (recipes follow)

*If you have trouble getting your cake out of the pan, cut a piece of waxed paper to fit in the bottom. Grease the pan and smooth the wax paper over the greased pan bottom. When you turn your cake out (while it's still hot) slowly peel the waxed paper off and throw it away.
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Frosting Central!

These are my favorite frosting recipes. I think this cake tastes best with Vanilla Buttercream, but I'm also posting a recipe for Chocolate Buttercream and a lighter Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting that I love for those of you who are complete Chocoholics. :)

Vanilla Buttercream

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 to 6 tablespoons milk

-Beat 1 cup of the powdered sugar with the butter, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk until creamy.
-Gradually beat in the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and add milk as needed (one tablespoon at a time) until smooth and you reach desired spreading consistency. You might not need all the milk.

Makes 2 cups.

Chocolate Buttercream

(Yes, it's exactly the same as the Vanilla Buttercream, but with cocoa powder. I wrote down the instructions again in case you wanted to print it out.)

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 to 6 tablespoons milk

-Beat 1 cup of the powdered sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk until creamy.
-Gradually beat in the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and add milk as needed (one tablespoon at a time) until smooth and you reach desired spreading consistency. You might not need all the milk.

Makes 2 cups.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

A lovely smooth, light icing. I like to use it as a "mousse" filling between layers of cake.

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 small package instant chocolate pudding* (4 serving size)
1 (8 ounce) container of whipped topping (aka Cool Whip) defrosted
1 cup cold milk, divided

-In a mixing bowl beat together the powdered sugar, pudding mix, whipped topping and 1/2 cup of the milk. Add more milk, a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.

*You could use any flavor of pudding mix you like...the possibilities are endless!