Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake
I got this recipe from Hershey’s Kitchens. The recipe is very easy to make and so moist. It’s even delicious without the frosting. I substituted the Hershey’s cocoa with dutch processed Bensdorp cocoa powder because it’s cheaper. Also, I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. Well here’s the recipe.
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
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)
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. 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 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.
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.
Tips and Techniques
Bakeware
Be sure to use the pan size called for in the recipe. To check the width of a pan, measure across the top from inside edge to inside edge.
Use shiny metal pans for baking cakes. They reflect heat away, producing a tender, lighter-colored crust.
Use caution when using dark nonstick baking pans or glass baking dishes. Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Since these pans absorb more heat, results may be better if the baking temperature is reduced by 25 degrees F.
Baking
Bake cakes with the oven rack placed in the center of the oven, unless the recipe states differently. Bake only on one rack.
Cooling
Cakes should be cooled completely on wire racks. Cool round cakes in their pans 10 minutes, then loosen by running a thin knife between the cake and the edge of the pan and remove the cakes from pans to wire racks. Rectangular cakes (often in 13×9-inch baking pans) can be cooled completely in the pan or cooled 10 minutes in the pan and then removed to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
Frost cakes when they are completely cooled, or the frosting will melt or slide off the cake.
Making a Cake Recipe into Cupcakes
Follow cupcake preparation directions in the recipe, but if the recipe does not have specific instructions, be aware that most cake recipes can be made into cupcakes. Use the following guidelines.
Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups; fill cups 1/2 to 3/4 full with cake batter.
Bake cupcakes at the same temperature the cake called required and begin checking for doneness at 16 minutes.
Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
Expect a yield of about 1-1/2 to 2 dozen cupcakes from a recipe calling for about 2-1/4 cups of flour.
Storage & Cutting
Follow cupcake preparation directions in the recipe, but if the recipe does not have specific instructions, be aware that most cake recipes can be made into cupcakes. Use the following guidelines.
Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups; fill cups 1/2 to 3/4 full with cake batter.
Bake cupcakes at the same temperature the cake called required and begin checking for doneness at 16 minutes.
Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
Expect a yield of about 1-1/2 to 2 dozen cupcakes from a recipe calling for about 2-1/4 cups of flour.
Troubleshooting
Refer to this checklist to figure out why a cake did not turn out as expected.
If a homemade cake has a coarse texture, the following problems may have occurred:
Too much baking soda or baking powder may have been used.
Not enough liquid may have been used.
The butter and sugar may not have been beaten together long enough. If the recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar, or beating until light and fluffy, this should take at least three to four minutes of beating.
The oven temperature was too low.
If a homemade cake is too dry, the following problems may have occurred:
Too much flour or leavening (baking soda/baking powder) was used.
Flour was not measured properly (see measuring tips).
Not enough shortening or sugar was used.
The cake was over-baked – the oven temperature was too high and/or the baking time was too long.
If a homemade cake fell (the center of the cake sinks), the following problems may have occurred:
The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
The liquid was over or under measured.
The pan was too small – the batter was too deep.
The cake was moved or jarred before it
was sufficiently baked.
Old or expired baking powder was used.
A wooden pick or cake tester was inserted into the cake before it was sufficiently set.
If a homemade cake has low volume or is too flat, the following problems may have occurred:
The liquid was over- or under-measured.
The batter was under-mixed or extremely over-mixed.
Too large a pan was used.
The oven temperature was too low or too high.
If a homemade cake has a peaked center, the following problems may have occurred:
The batter was over-mixed.
The oven temperature was too hot.
If a homemade cake shrinks excessively around the edges, the following problems may have occurred:
The baking pans were greased too heavily.
The baking pans were placed too close together in the oven.
There was too little batter in the baking pan.
The batter was extremely over-mixed.
There was too little liquid in the batter.
The cake was over-baked – either too long a time or at too high a temperature.
If a homemade cake is soggy, the following problems may have occurred:
The cake was moved or jarred before it was sufficiently baked.
The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
Old or expired baking powder was used.
If a homemade cake has a spotted crust, the batter was probably under-mixed.
If a homemade cake has a sticky top crust, the following problems may have occurred:
The cake was stored while still warm.
The liquid was over measured.
The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
The air humidity was too high.
If a homemade cake has tunnels throughout the layer, the following problems may have occurred:
The oven temperature was too high.
The batter was under-mixed or extremely over-mixed.
If a homemade cake has uneven browning, the following problems may have occurred:
There was uneven heat circulation in the oven.
The baking pans were placed too close together in the oven.
If a homemade cake has uneven layers, the following problems may have occurred:
The oven rack was not level.
The cake pans were warped or bent.
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