Chocolate Cake

Mmm Mmm Chocolate!!!  I love a moist and fluffy chocolate cake, and this one is always a big hit around my house.  The flavor is great and it holds up nicely if you plan on stacking and decorating a larger cake.  I have made this time and time again and it always turns out wonderfully.  The recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens.

Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare your pans.  Turn the pan upside down and cut a circle of waxed paper to the same size as the pan.

Grease the bottom of the pan...

... and add the liner to the pan.  Press down and smooth out large air bubbles.

Re-grease the pan on top of the waxed paper and up the sides of the pan, then add some flour.  Swirl the flour around the pan and up the sides until the pan is lightly covered in flour, dump the excess flour out.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter.

Creamed butter should look like this.

Beat in sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well combined, and scraping sides of bowl.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. After all eggs are added, beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl add together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix well.

Alternately add milk and flour mixture, a little at a time, until all has been incorporated. 

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes for 8-inch pans and 13x9 inch pan, 30-35 minutes for 9-inch pans, or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Remove from pans, peel off wax paper, and cool completely on wire racks.

If planning to stack and frost layered cakes, slice off the curved tops of the cakes.

If making the cakes for another day, you can wrap tightly in plastic wrap (after completely cooled) and store in the freezer until later use.  I have only frozen this type of cake for 2 days, you could freeze it for longer but may lose some of the fluffy moist texture.