Recipe Share: Dark Chocolate Cake

I think I have made this cake about five times in the past few months, because it is totally delish and totally my style: low maintenance, has a great texture, and is not overly sweet. To me, overly sweet just means you can't eat half of it in one sitting, so I prefer something I can enjoy more of. I like to decorate it with a toned-down chocolate buttercream frosting (I never add as much powdered sugar as a recipe calls for), and layer the middle with drained tart cherries from a fancy can. Sooo yum!



Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
A recipe from Suzanne Tompkins

• 2 cups sugar
  
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa or Hershey's special dark cocoa (I use Ghirardelli)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking power
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two (9 inch) round pans, or one (13x9x2 inch) baking pan.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking power, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (Cake may be left in rectangular pan, if desired). Makes 8-10 servings.