Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

For MDS's 39th (again) Birthday, I made this delicious cake and frosting. I was glad MDS chose this combo. I usually pick chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The chocolate cake with chocolate frosting combo is excellent. Both recipes came from Mom's recipe box. Making cake and frosting from scratch is easy enough that there really is no need to rely on the boxed mixes. The cake is called Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake, so she must have gotten it from the back of Hershey's cocoa powder box back in the day. The recipe calls for making a round layer cake, but I made a pan cake instead. It took a little longer to bake, but like most cake recipes, you can use whatever pan works for you by adjusting the baking time.

The frosting recipe seems to be a basic chocolate buttercream recipe. I often struggle with making frosting, but I have found that if I use my electric mixer, I get better results with smoother and fluffier frosting. As for the "39" candles that you see in the photo. we plan to stay 39 forever, so we will keep using those candles until nothing is left.

Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cup milk

Generously grease the pans. Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Combine soda, cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add alternately with milk to butter. Blend well. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Frost and enjoy!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 

• 2 2/3 cup confectioner sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 4-5 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine confectioner sugar and cocoa. Cream butter with one half of the cocoa mixture in a bowl. Add remaining cocoa alternating with milk. Beat to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla. Use to frost cake. Enjoy!