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It doesn't get much better than Practically Perfect Chocolate Cake. This cake is tender and moist with plenty of chocolate frosting. This easy one bowl recipe is ideal for any party or event.
This post has the word perfect in it, but don't fret. I don't actually believe in perfection. I believe we should always strive for our best, but perfection is an illusion. Like, remember when Nadia Comaneci got all those perfect 10s and everyone freaked out? Then Simone Biles was probably doing all those same moves when she was 8 years old. That's what I'm talking about. Perfection is a constantly advancing target. You'll never reach it.
Though I'm always working hard to do better, I've definitely learned to live by the motto "done is better than perfect." Work that only lives in your mind is basically useless. What good is it to anyone to have such impossibly high standards for your work that no one ever sees it? It's not going to get you anywhere, and it's certainly never going to benefit the people you're trying to serve. Practically perfect is close enough.
What makes this chocolate cake so awesome?
Take this Practically Perfect Chocolate Cake for example. This is a damn good cake. It's moist and tender with lots of rich chocolate frosting. We ate the whole thing just the two of us, and it wasn't until the sixth day that it even had a hint of dryness. I would happily eat this every day. But it doesn't look perfect.
I've never let my poor cake decorating skills get in the way of making and sharing cake. Don't you dare let yourself be intimated by perfect cakes on Instagram. Most of the time, those perfectly decorated cakes don't taste that great anyway. Mostly, I'm too impatient to learn cake decorating. I just want to hurry up and get to cake eating. And when it's this good, can you blame me?
How to make Practically Perfect Chocolate Cake
The first thing you want to do is make sure your pans are well greased. The easiest way is to use a non-stick baking spray. This cake is tender, so you want to minimise resistance when turning them out.
But before you get to that nerve-wracking moment, we need to mix things up. The good news is, this is a simple one bowl method. Start by combining your dry ingredients to make sure everything is well-mixed. Then use your electric mixer on low to stir in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Finally, we'll stir in some just boiled water. It's going to be a very thin batter.
If you have a scale to weigh your baking pans and make sure each one is filled fairly equally, that's ideal. Otherwise, just eyeball it. Bake them until they start to pull away from the side of the pan and spring back when pressed gently.
For the chocolate frosting, it will be easier to work with if your butter is totally soft. Of course, my Scottish kitchen in the winter is never going to get warm enough, hence why my frosting looks a bit stiff. There's no big secret here. Use an electric mixer to combine butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Then beat in some cream and vanilla to get your desired thickness. Slap it all on there in whatever way suits you. Actual perfection not required.
Make it magical
These days, many of us turn to chocolate to ward off dementors and help cheer us up when we feel all happines has been sucked from the world. But more traditionally, chocolate is associated with love, sex, friendship, romance and grounding. Chocolate is definitely sensuous, so it's perfect for love spells. It's earthy, grounding properties are also great for self-love. Use it whenever you want to bring a smile to your face. (Source: Plentiful Earth)
Perfection is overrated, but good cake can never be underestimated. This Practically Perfect Chocolate Cake is exactly what you need. It's gonna be awesome.
Looking for more awesome cake recipes? Try this Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cake or some Red Velvet Cake.
PrintPractically Perfect Chocolate Cake
It doesn't get much better than Practically Perfect Chocolate Cake. This cake is tender and moist with plenty of chocolate frosting. Bake it from scratch for any party or event.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2-layer 9-inch cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
For the frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on medium for two minutes. Scrape the bowl and add the boiling water with the mixer on low. You batter will be very thin. It's cool.
- Pour your batter evenly into your two waiting pans and bake for 30 minutes. Whatever you do, don't overbake this cake. It will still be good, but it reaches peak awesomeness when there's plenty of moisture left.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting
- Add your butter and cocoa powder to a large mixing bowl and beat until combined. It'll look chunky. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. It's going to be super thick, but don't freak out. Next beat in the cream and vanilla, then turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for about two minutes. Your frosting will expand and become smooth.
- To assemble the cake, place your first layer on its final destination and spread about a third of the frosting on top of the first layer. Place the second layer on top and frost the sides of the cake first, covering completely. Add the rest of the frosting to the top of the cake and spread evenly.
- Slice, eat, and just try to live inside the perfection.
Notes
You could also make this is three smaller round baking pans. Just go with what you got.
Keywords: Chocolate, Cake
This recipe is from Hershey's. The direct link is dead, but you can probably still find their method on the back of their cocoa powder container.
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