Ultimate chocolate birthday cake

You have turned *beep* if:

your first lunch box was the original Star Wars lunch box

you watched Donny and Marie sing "I'm a little bit country/rock'n'roll"

you remember Michael Jackson's nose

you remember when an apple was just a fruit

Orwell's 1984 was still a book about the future

seat belts were optional growing up

shoulder pads were a big part of becoming a teenager

More reasons to feel old:

1. you were born last century

2. you husband remarked during your birthday dinner that your dad wasn't much older than you are now when they first met

3. the language of the country you live in has a different suffix from this decade on

You know you did pretty well your first *beep* years:

1. when you celebrate your birthday dinner with a husband and two children you are head-over-heels in love with

2. tons of people you care about from all around the world call you, text you, email you and write you to wish you a happy birthday

Many years ago my mother-in-law (who is not Chinese by the way) passed on a real pearl of wisdom that I think of every day of my life: never complain about your age because if you are alive to talk about it, you should consider yourself a blessed person.

So true. I am a very lucky girl woman. I am 40 and I am proud of it! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

To celebrate, chocaholic that I am, I decided a wanted a dark, moist, rich, chocolate birthday cake. I wanted the kind I can't get on this side of the ocean, with layers and frosting. For the beginning of my fifth decade I wanted the whole shebang.

That is how I came to attempt my first layer cake ever. It was also one of my first frosting experiences. It was fun, it was easier than I expected. It turned out delicious.

It wasn't me, it was the recipe.


It delivers exactly what it promises: the moistest, darkest, most chocolaty cake you could imagine. It is a recipe I have been seeing around a few blogs, it has been handed down through generations apparently. It turns out it is a recipe posted on the Hershey's website. I followed the "Especially Dark" Chocolate cake recipe and used a some coffee as suggested in the Black Magic Cake recipe. 

The batter is very runny. So runny you will think you went wrong somewhere. You didn't. Also, there is no butter or chocolate in the cake, so it is not as heavy as you would imagine. Go on, what are you waiting for? Don't wait until you turn 40. Any day is a good day.



Runny batter. See how runny it is?



Ingredients

Cake 

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup dark unsweetend cocoa (sorry Hershey's, can't buy you here so I used Lindt instead)

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup black coffee

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2/3 cups dark, unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk (+ more)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and flour two 9-inch (23cm) round baking pans. 

Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot coffee. Don't worry if the batter seems too thin. It should be. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (I used one twice).

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans and let cool completely on wire rack. Frost the first cake (flatter side down) with the frosting (recipe below). Cover with the second cake, turning the flatter side up. Frost the sides first and then the top. Do not store in fridge. The frosting will set a little and will not melt at room temperature. It keeps for up to five days.

Frosting

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa (which I sifted to avoid lumps). Alternately add powdered sugar and milk until it reaches spreading consistency. You may need to add a little more milk but add a tbsp at a time so it does not get too runny. Stir in vanilla extract. It makes about 2 cups. I could've used more between layers but I was worried I would run out. The result is I have some left over frosting.