Mimi’s Corner-Sudden Chocolate Craving
As I open boxes containing various items that had been stored for six months, I find items that bring back memories. One such was a baking pan, a 9” x 13” aluminum cake pan. I immediately had a craving for chocolate cake.
You see, this pan was most often used to bake a special cake for our family - Hershey’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake. My mother-in-law loved chocolate, especially dark chocolate. She would make this cake for family get-togethers, and I fell in love with it, its moistness, intense chocolatey flavor, and the easy recipe. If you like chocolate cake, then this recipe is for you. It’s easy, requires no special ingredients or equipment. All you need, other than the ingredients, is an oven safe pan, and an oven! The recipe used to be on the back of the Hershey cocoa can. I don’t know if it still is, but here’s the recipe.
HERSHEY’S DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 cup Milk
2 t. Vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c. Boiling water
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 3/4 c. All-purpose flour
1/2 c. Vegetable oil
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 X 13 X 2-inch baking pan, or two 9-inch round pans. Start heating water to bring to a boil.
2. Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for two minutes. Stir in boiling water to make a very thin batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans; 35 to 40 minutes for a 9 X 13 pan. Test with wooden toothpick inserted in center. It should come out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove two round cakes to wire racks. I keep the 9 X 13” cake in the baking pan.
6. Ice with your favorite icing. (The icing I use is Hershey’s recipe for chocolate buttercream frosting, also on the back of the cocoa can. If you’re in a hurry, you can use a canned frosting, but it won’t be as rich and tasty.)
