Hip! Hip! Hooray! My baby turned 6 today! (Well, he turned 6 on the day when I made this cake…that was a bit ago). He’s my son that has food restrictions, so I make most of our food from scratch. For sure, I make most of his food from scratch. It’s a bummer, but things are better for him and for us when he’s not eating the food he shouldn’t be eating.
But, it’s hard to top this cake. A box mix might be incredibly easy, but this cake is incredibly delicious! It is more complicated than a box mix, but it isn’t hard. I’ve actually be using it for years, even before I had to start baking from scratch. It’s a super popular recipe – you’ll find it everywhere on the blog world. It’s by Hershey and I haven’t made any changes – it’s delicious as is.
The only thing that I do is to add a Peanut Butter Filling layer in the middle. Because chocolate and peanut butter are a great combination. I don’t do this all the time; just when I’m in the mood for something a little bit “extra”, you know? So when the Birthday Boy picked chocolate for his cake flavor, I made it a little “extra” by doing the Peanut Butter Filling. You don’t have to — the frosting recipe makes plenty of frosting for the outside of the cake and the inside too.
And here’s a tip for you – when I’m making a cake, I’ll cut out a circle of waxed paper the same shape as the cake pan and put it into the cake pan.
- First: I’ll use non-stick spray on the pan.
- Then I’ll trace around the wax paper with a pencil and cut out a circle the same size.
- Third, place the wax paper circle on the bottom of the cake pan.
- Then re-spray the pan. Comes out cleanly every time!
Make this cake – it’s something special for someone special!
Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Filling
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Filling Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 stick butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Hershey's Chocolate Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
- 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake Instructions:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. I like to cover the bottom of the pans with waxed paper (also coated with cooking spray). It hasn't failed me yet.
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
- 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.
Filling Instructions:
- Combine ingredients with a mixer.
Frosting Instructions:
- Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
- Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
Cake Assembly:
- Put one layer of the cake onto the cake pan.
- Spread the peanut butter filling over the top of the cake, making sure to go all the way to the edge.
- Put the other cake layer on top of the peanut butter filling layer.
- Frost the cake. You'll have plenty of frosting.
Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She tries to coupon, builds a smart stockpile, and always meal plans. While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better – she never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.