BELATED BIRTHDAY BLOGGING: Mom's Chocolate Cake

Here I am during holiday break, inspired to cook and realizing it's been a while since I sat down to blog. I haven't stopped cooking in the recent busy months, so I have a pile-up of pictures and recipes ready to go. Here's hoping I can share many of them with you in the coming weeks. 

MOM'S CHOCOLATE CAKE TWO WAYS
Chris turned 30 in November, and a big birthday calls for a big cake. His request was something with one of his favorite dessert combinations: chocolate and peanut butter.

My mom's been making chocolate cake for our family birthdays for as long as I can remember. I haven't tasted a better one, either. So I decided to play with the recipe I've only seen in a bundt pan and use the batter to make a four-layer cake with peanut butter filling. I had fun making the cake look like one of Chris's drums, using a cake leveler, chocolate frosting, decorating frosting, red food coloring spray, rolled white fondant, and pretzel sticks. I had to double both the chocolate cake and peanut butter icing recipes to complete the four layers, dividing each chocolate cake batter recipe into two 9-inch round pans. 

THERESA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

recipe from Theresa Folse

 Mix dry ingredients:

• 3 cups flour 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 6 tablespoons cocoa (she uses Hershey’s)

Add:

• 1 teaspoon vinegar 
• 1 cup oil (she uses Canola oil) 
• 2 cups water 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

Beat/mix and bake at 350 degrees in a greased bundt pan for 45-60 minutes (when toothpick comes out clean). 

Frosting:

• 3 tablespoons cocoa (she uses Hershey’s) 
• 3 tablespoons water 
• 1 tablespoon oil 
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup 

Stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar until think (at least 2 cups—up to a whole box). Thin with water as needed. 

KATHLEEN'S PEANUT BUTTER ICING
recipe from Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Method:

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.