Chocolate Cake (birthday cakes, round 1)

February is full of birthdays in my family.  The most important one is of course my DGD's.  She turned 4 in February.  She gets to celebrate her birthday with the family on the actual day and with her friends later in the month.  I'm on deck for the cakes.  The first cake was a simple sheet cake made in her favorite flavor.

The recipe for the cake is from King Aurthur flour and is printed on the back of the cake flour box.

Moist Chocolate Cake-
2 cups King Aurthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee or water
4 large eggs

Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl.  Measure in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar.  Sift/shake the dry ingredients through the strainer into a mixing bowl, to eliminate any lumps.

Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 minute.  With the mixer running, add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks like sand.

Combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee or water, and add all at once.  Mix for 1 minute at low speed, stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix for 30 seconds.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well at medium-high speed between additions.  The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan of your choice-(one 9x13 pan, two 9" round or three 8" round pans).  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 34 minutes for 9x13; 28-30 minutes for 9" layers; or 24-26 minutes for 8" layers.  The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before frosting.

Yields three 8" rounds. two 9" rounds or a 9x13 sheet

(I also have made cupcakes with this recipe-cook time is 20 minutes and yield is 24 cupcakes.)


Super good chocolate cake!  Really the best I have had!

I tweeted King Aurthur for help finding a chocolate buttercream that was as good as the cake but got "twubbed".  lol!  In other words, I got nuttin back.  Where's the twitter love King A!  So I did a little research and made my own version.

Chocolate Buttercream the Diva Weigh

1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter(room temperature)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla paste.
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powders through a mesh strainer into a bowl and combine.
Cream the butter and shortening. 
Add the cocoa/sugar and mix slowly.
While the mixer is running, pour in the milk and vanilla.
Mix till combined.

Lemme tell you, this frosting was good!  I may or may not have licked the beater on this one!