Decadent Chocolate Cake

Day 99

My daughter, Tate, offered to contribute her  incredibly, superbly, super-dee-dooper wonderfully flavored cake recipe with us. I’ll turn over the reins to her, for now. You won’t be disappointed.

Hi y’all; it’s Tate. 

As a lover of all things sweet, and of all foods with “cake” in their title, I am constantly searching for the perfect dessert. This leads to many dirty baking sheets and one exhausted mixer. My search was suddenly halted after I tried a Nutella Cake recipe I found on Pinterest.

Photo by Taylor Fowler

Yes, Pinterest— I know. Pinterest has a reputation (and a quite accurate one at that) for being untrustworthy in its recipes. And I would say that this recipe was no different, in some ways. The entire dish— the filling, topping, etc.— did not turn out perfectly, but the cake itself was FANTASTIC. It was moist, rich, and so full of that deep chocolate flavor that it practically knocked my socks off. That being said, it also led to me scratching the recipe as a whole, and just using the cake portion of it. That cake, with its moist texture and rich flavor, made me want to scream from the rooftops. 

The best thing about chocolate cake (other than its heavenly flavor) is its versatility. I would encourage you to take this recipe, bask in its glory, and then twist it to suit your own taste buds. You could pair it with any toppings, fillings, mousses, or icings that you desire. I personally like the idea of topping the cake with a coconut cream icing and shaved almonds. YUM. That being said, the choice is yours! 

Before I give you the recipe, though, you should know one thing. One thing that I did not know, and made me feel that my cakes were destined for failure. THE BATTER WILL BE EXTREMELY LOOSE. It will be able to pour almost like buttermilk would— very much still a liquid— just thicker. This is okay; just treat it normally. Pour it in your baking pans, and it will bake as it should. 

Now, drumroll please… 

*Decadent Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

¾  cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup vegetable oil

1½  tsp. vanilla

1 cup boiling water 

Instructions:

1. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.

2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.

3. Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.

5. Pour into two 8-inch cakes pans, about halfway up the pans, and bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. 

6. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely. 

*Remember that this recipe is JUST FOR TWO CHOCOLATE CAKES, not for an entire dessert (icing, toppings, etc). That is up to you to decide! Enjoy! 

Original recipe from Pinterest, at this site: http://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2014/11/12/nutella-chocolate-cake/