Perfect Chocolate Cake
Favorite Cake From: Southern Living Hall of Fame Dessert Classics
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 2½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Filling
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sifted powder sugar
Perfect Chocolate Frosting
- 6 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup half and half
- ¾ cup butter
- 2½ cups sifted powder sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until smooth; set aside.
- Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; add to creamed mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beating at low speed of electric mixer, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Stir in vanilla. Do not overbeat.
- Line three 9-inch greased cake pans with wax paper; grease and flour (can use cocoa) wax paper.
- Pour batter into cake pans. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 mintues or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, peel off wax paper, and cool layers completely on wire racks.
- Spread Whipped Cream Filling between layers; spread Perfect Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Whipped Cream Filling
- Beat whipping cream and vanilla until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Chill. Yield: about 2 cups
Perfect Chocolate Frosting
- Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until chocolate melts.
- Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, mixing well.
- Set saucepan in ice, and beat at low speed of an electric mixer until frosting holds its shape and loses its gloss.
- Add a few more drops of half-and-half if needed to make spreading consistency. Yield: 2 1/2 cups