Chocolate Cake


I made this cake for my stepdad's 75th birthday yesterday. He enjoys cakes that are not too sweet, especially the frosting. I searched high and low for a good chocolate frosting recipe and what I discovered was that there are lots of chocolate frosting recipes out there that are very expensive to make. One recipe I came across called for chocolate that would have cost me $5 for the two bars alone! I was almost tempted to pick up a can of frosting for a little over $1 but I held myself back!!! I did spend a bit on the chocolate and I'll use that for another time because I finally came across a recipe that was a 5 star one on recipezaar. It had tons of 5 star reviews and only used cocoa! I've made ones before that only use cocoa and found them all to be so sweet. Well I figured all these people could not be wrong plus it showed 3 ways to adjust the cocoa according to your taste. That sold me! Well, I will definitely give it 5 stars! It is excellent and my stepdad loved it. He said the frosting was perfect! I did have to adjust it after making the dark, rich version. It was still too sweet for me so I added one large tablespoon of cocoa and it was perfect. You just have to give this a try. It's excellent and inexpensive. You can find it here. It is recipe #89207.

The cake recipe I used was a basic yellow cake from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book. What intrigued me about it was that it was first published in 1930!!! Yet it is still popular and delicious today.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk

Grease and flour either 2 8 in or 9 in round cake pans or one large 13x9x2 inch baking pan; set aside. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pour batter into pans.

Bake in 375 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes layers in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Frost with desired frosting.

Comments

Bethie said…
Looks great. I love all things chocolate, but dark chocolate, not too sweet.
Jenn said…
You had me a chocolate! Well done on the cake. I"m sure i taste fantastic.
Donna-FFW said…
I love that the cake recipe has been around so long, what a classic. The frosting sounds delicious. I will have to bookmark that one. Cake looks so pretty too.
Sara said…
Looks delicious, and very pretty too! There's nothing better than a good chocolate cake.
Kerstin said…
Beautiful cake - it looks fantastic!
Carrie said…
Your cake looks fantastic! I love the waves in the frosting! I can't ever get my cakes to look very good :-(
Anonymous said…
a 1930 recipe! timeless gem, indeed!
Manggy said…
Ooh, a vintage cake! I didn't know that canned frosting could be so cheap. Then again, it never tastes the way I want to!
Mary Bergfeld said…
I love classic cakes and the frosting sounds economical and delicious.
Katy ~ said…
That frosting recipe looks very good indeed! I use the one on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can, which has long been my favorite, but I'm going to try yours with some whipped cream added. I'm finding that whipped cream makes a HUGE difference in the quality of my frostings.

Yellow cake is my favorite! And a vintage recipe to boot. Once again, you have won my heart.
Cassie said…
I love a good, dependable chocolate cake recipe. It looks awesome!
Pam said…
I am not a fan of super sweet cakes - this looks fantastic. My husband and daughter love chocolate so this would be a big hit.
Mom2four said…
OH MY! I LOVE CHOCOLATE! looks great!
Reeni said…
This look delicious! I love old recipes, their timeless and fail proof. The dark chocolate icing looks wonderful! Happy B-day to your stepdad!!
teresa said…
Such a GORGEOUS cake! Great job!
Anonymous said…
Beautiful chocolate cake! Delicious!
Melody said…
You put a lot of love and work into that cake. Glad he liked it. It looks delish!
Mary said…
This chocolate cake is divine !
This sounds heavenly! The sprinkles look great!
Jennifer said…
Debbie that is one awesome looking cake!
Denise said…
Nothingbetter than chocolate cake...
Amanda said…
I have been looking for a good homemade yellow cake, and thank you for the frosting too! Happy birthday to your dad :)
Ingrid_3Bs said…
Happy belated birthday to your stepdad!

Thanks for the recipe and really I think it almost more expensive to bake & cook at home if you're using quality fresh ingredients!
~ingrid
La Bella Cooks said…
What a beautiful birthday cake! It doesn't get much better than a finely made chocolate cake, especially done by someone you love.
Monica H said…
I LOVE yellow cake with chocolate frosting. It's so comforting and simple.
Judy said…
Give a man a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and he'll be happy. Did you know that Jackie Kennedy used to bake a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for JFK because it was his fave? I love the frosting recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. It's a no-fail, it's easy and good.