The BEST Chocolate cake!

I love to bake however when it comes to decorating cakes I'm hopeless. No matter how hard I try it looks like my four year old decorated the cake for me. So making this chocolate cake from scratch made me a little unsure because then I was going to have to frost it (and for me even frosting a cake does not always go well) but I decided to go for it. I am sure glad I did. This is cake is not only easy to make but it tastes great. I found the recipe at http://thenonpareilbaker.blogspot.com and adapted it slightly. It is orginally a Hershey's recipe, so how can you go wrong!

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by greasing and flouring them.

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be on the thin side.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake 30 minutes. Cool in the pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

I frosted the cakes with a really simple buttercream frosting. I like chocolate cakes with white frosting so that is what I did for this cake.

Frosting Ingredients

• 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk

In your mixer (or with a hand mixer) with whisk attachment combine sugar and butter on low. When blended add vanilla and milk. Whisk one minute until completely combine. Frost cake and enjoy!

Carrot Cake

I got this recipe from a girl I worked with at RE/MAX. We were both working at the front desk at that time and I was having Ryan's sister and her family over for dinner and needed a fall dessert. She gave me this carrot cake recipe and it's been a family favourite ever since. Thanks Deidre!
*Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the cake as it was eaten before I could take some! Next time I make the cake I will update the post with some photos.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups of carrot, shredded
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients. Beat in carrots, eggs and vanilla. Pour into greased and floured 13X9 pan. Bake 30-45 minutes.

You can't have carrot cake without cream cheese frosting! Here is the frosting recipe:

• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup of butter, softened
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.