Hershey's "Perfect Chocolate" Chocolate Cake and my final Wilton Course 1 Cake
I know what you are thinking - "Umm, shouldn't it be decorated or something?" Yes, it should be. Unfortunately, I got sick in the middle of the last class and had to leave, so my cake never got decorated. :-( Sad, I know! I had planned to give this cake to Mrs. Walk for her birthday, but I just wasn't feeling up to to decorating it the next day so I cut her a nice healthy piece and put a few icing roses on top (which I then promptly forgot to take a picture of).
I will eventually make a cake just to decorate, but I couldn't go on without sharing this (well-known) recipe. I've heard this recipe is divine, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Mrs. Walk (who I consider to be a chocolate-connoisseur) said it was one of the moistest, most delicious chocolate cakes she had ever eaten. So happy (now belated) birthday, Mrs. Walk! I owe you a decorated cake one of these days. :-)Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be extremely thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely; frost as desired.
Variations:
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
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. (yields about 30 cupcakes).
Source: Hershey
Moist Yellow Cake - and My First Wilton Class!
I have been considering signing up for a Wilton class for some time now. I found a class at a craft store by me that worked with my work schedule, so I thought, "Why not?" This was the first cake we decorated and I am having so much fun!
We needed to bring a two-layer cake into our second class. I have been trying to figure out a reason to make this cake, so this was the perfect opportunity! It made more batter than I needed (this recipe is for a three-layer cake), so I made a few cupcakes to eat before class. I was very happy with that decision and very happy with this recipe. (I didn't include the frosting recipe that I used, because it is the Class Buttercream from Wilton, which I wouldn't recommend using.)Moist Yellow Cake
2 cups water
Vanilla or chocolate buttercream to frost cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (3) 8-inch cake pans. Gently tap pans to remove excess flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add 2 cups sugar, and continue to cream for about 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and butter flavoring and mix until just combined.
Divide batter equally into 3 cake pans. Hold each layer about 3 inches above your counter and carefully drop the pans flat on the counter several times to ensure release of any air bubbles.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. Let cool completely on wire racks.
Combine 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water and bring to a boil in small saucepan. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. Pour liquid into a spray bottle or pouring bottle.
Once layers are cool, unwrap and use a serrated knife to level. Take a straw and poke holes into each layer, and using your spray bottle, spray the top of each layer several times. Assemble layers with frosting between each layer. Continue frosting as desired.
Source: adapted from Bakerella
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
As soon as I saw this cake pop up in my google reader, I knew I had to try it. It took next to no time to put together, and it was so incredible. It was light and fluffy and had just the right amount of raspberries. Definitely put this on your "must try" list! (This cake is incredibly thin, so I don't think it would sufficiently fill more than 6 people. Then again, we are "cake people" so it may just be us. :-) )
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk*
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
*I never buy buttermilk for recipes. Instead, I add 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar to 1 cup whole milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes. For this recipe, just take 1/2 cup of that mixture.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of your oven. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Then, beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
On low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top. (If you place the raspberries face down, they will disappear in the batter. If you place them face up, they will stay empty, like cups. Both were equally delicious!)
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.
Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet Magazine
