Celebration Chocolate Cake

Any one would love this moist chocolate cake.  This recipe is adapted from the Hershey’s site. I was in search of a chocolate cake recipe and landed up in Divya’s chocolate cake event. She has also tried this out and those pics made me drool. AJ is not a great fan of cakes, but this time he asked for more and also asked me to make it once again. An appreciation from his side is very rare and that happens only when he likes something very much. The whole credit goes to Hershey’s.

Now its his Bday today and I’ve prepared it once again. This time I had to make a larger cake and so I did sandwich a vanilla cake in between. I shall update the recipe of the vanilla cake later. The first pic is that of the Bday cake and the rest are that of the one which I prepared before. I know, I have to master the art of writing on cakes J J J

Ingredients:

     Cake:

           All-purpose flour          --   1 ¾ cup
           Baking soda                    --   1 ½ tsp
           Salt                                     --   ¼ tsp
           Hershey's Cocoa           --   ¾ cup
           Boiling water                 --   1 cup 
           Butter                                --    ½ cup + 2 tbsp 
           Sugar                                 --   2 cups 
           Eggs                                   --   3
           Vanilla Extract             --   1 tsp
           Milk                                    --   ¾ cup
           Dairy sour cream         --   ¼ cup  (I used thick yogurt)

     Filling:

           Heavy whipping cream --   200 ml
           Sugar                                     --   ½ cup
           Cocoa Powder                   --   3 tbsp
           Slivered Almonds            --   ½ cup

     Icing:

            Heavy whipping cream   --   100 ml
            Icing Sugar                           --   1/2 cup
            Semi-sweet chocolate      --   100 gm
     Rose:
            Vegetable Shortening       --    1/4 cup
            Powdered Sugar                  --    1 cup
            Water or Milk                        --    2 tsp
            Vanilla extract                      --   1 tsp
             Salt                                            --    a pinch

Preparation of the cake:

              Heat oven to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch round baking pans (I made in two pans and filled in 2 cup cakes as well) and dust with flour. Mix cocoa with boiling water in small bowl; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

    

             Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cocoa mixture, beating well.

     

             Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk and sour cream to butter mixture, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.

        

             Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks;Cool completely.

Preparation of the filling:

               Whip the heavy whipping cream until they form peaks. Fold in the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder. 

               Spread it over the first cake and then sandwich the other on the top. You can also sprinkle some slivered almonds on the whipped cream. I spread the same mix on the sides of the cake and also sticked on some almonds over there.

     

               This is a trick to stick the almonds on the sides of the cake. I have not yet mastered the art of spreading the icing on the sides of the cake. So any irregularity is covered up J

Preparation of the icing:

               Add the chocolate and sugar to the cream and keep it on a double boiler until the chocolate is completely melted. Let it cool and then pour it over the cake. 

      

Preparation of the rose:

                    Mix all the ingredients and make a rose. Check out this youtube video and get an idea. I do not know how to explain J.