Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Coconut
Cake Recipe from Hershey’s, Frosting from Martha Stewart
Serves about 12
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
For the Frosting:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softer
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature for softer icing, cold for firmer icing
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, and grease and flour the parchment.
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. The batter will be very thin. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.
Place one cake round on a pedestal, turntable, or plate and cover with frosting. Repeat with the next layer. Put the final layer on top and cover the cake with frosting. Normally when frosting a chocolate cake with a light-colored icing a crumb coat is necessary, but since the cake will be covered with coconut, there is no need. Press coconut into the top and sides of the cake until it is completely covered. Enjoy!
